It must be that time of year I have four reissues that I’m currently reviewing and all are albums that have to some point either been missing in my life or are boosted with tracks that have not seen the light of day before. This one in particularly strikes on both fronts as far as that is concerned. It has been a pretty good year for Aura Noir with the release of spiffing new album Out To Die, a reissue of Deep Tracks Of Hell also courtesy of Peaceville and quite a lot of sterling live shows. The latter have been particularly good and see the ever recovering Aggressor getting better and better and looking more comfortable on stage, a place we are lucky to ever see him on again considering the accident he had.
For the purposes of this album it is time to take a trip right back in time to when the band were just a duo; the aforementioned Aggressor and Apollyon. ‘Dreams Like Deserts’ was originally put out as a six track EP in 1995 on Hot Records of Oslo who seemingly just released a few classic examples of true Norwegian Black Metal. Here it has been newly re-mastered and released with an extra five rare and unheard versions of tracks from the Deep Tracks recording sessions.
I have to admit that I was not expecting this to be more than basic blackened thrash by numbers and with poor production values but was not particularly taking the fact that this had been re-mastered to heart or that this was Aura Noir. One listen quickly had me changing my mind to that notion. The steady loose drum beats of ‘The Rape’ have thick bass and sharp guitar tones added to and the slow doomy crawl creeps up and then literally attacks and explodes. This is gnarly and shredding blackened thrash with skewed and manic riffs, barked out vocals and a persuasive harmony riding roughshod over it all. At times instrumentation comes at you in a hateful uncouth vortex but it is held together with a certain amount of structured zeal making it gel nicely. As we flail into ‘Forlorn Blessings To The Dreamking’ it is obvious that Apollyon is making the most of his parts, cackling away and gurgling through his vokills with precision and exuberance, one that quickly put him on the map as owning this style of music; you can almost feel the hateful glare that goes with it on stage burning the back of your neck. There are some great grinding, winding guitar riffs here giving things an unforgettable melody, none so more pronounced than on the title track as they gnaw through the skin and sink teeth determinedly into bone. There is a bit of that old Voivod magic behind this one. I like the way that ‘Angel Ripper’ (a classic title) is accompanied by the words “lyrics are gone on this one.’ It makes you wonder if the band had any involvement here as surely the lyricist would be able to work out what he was vomiting forth? Perhaps not though! Speeding away and wrecking all in its path ‘Mirage’ tops off this fast and furious 20 mins or so EP and gives you a firm thrashing workout in the process.
But there’s more! I am not nerdy enough to go and play the Deep Tract Of Hell Outtakes back to back with the originals and compare each and every difference. You probably have the reissue or even originals depending on how hardcore a fan you are and these versions are a nice continuation of the EP showing how much the band have progressed within the three years difference of material. Or in fact how little they have as the case is! They do mark the presence of Blasphemer who was a guest at the time before committing further too. Finishing this off though is a track that featured on the bands two debut 1994 demos, one that I guess is rare as rocking horse poo. ‘The Tower Of Limbs And Fevers’ is a short sharp shock to the system and one featuring on vocals Fenriz which is reason enough to sing its unholy praises as being a significant track in the history of Norwegian BM.
A socking stocking filler? I think so!
(7.5/10 Pete Woods)
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