Search - Siebenburgen :: Revelation VI

Evil Return

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 06/01/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When Swedish black metallers Siebenburgen first announced its dissolution shortly after the release of their 2005 release Darker Designs and Images, I was disappointed, but not necessarily surprised. The long-suffering band has released album after album of high quality black metal over the past decade, but never seemed to garner much in the way of a popular following. Fortunately Marcus Ehlin and Richard Bryngelsson, fresh from a stint in Grand Illusion, decided to give Siebenburgen another shot this year with an all-new lineup, the result of which is the band's appropriately-titled sixth studio release Revelation VI.



Revelation VI is exactly the kind of album I've come to expect from Siebenburgen, especially in light of the direction their sound had taken since their 2001 release Plagued Be Thy Angel. Specifically, it is a classy, highly melodic (they do hail from Sweden, after all), symphonic black metal album along the lines of what countrymen Dimmu Borgir have released in recent years. All of the fury and venom you expect from a black metal album are present here, but against such a stirring symphonic backdrop the end result sounds far more majestic than malevolent. Newcomer Lisa Simonsson's powerful vocals are one of the band's strongest points, and play very well against Ehlin's harsh vocals and the band's overall sound. It's also quite refreshing to hear a female vocalist in this genre that doesn't opt for the same old operatic shtick.



Despite lineup and label changes, Siebenburgen has managed to deliver another high caliber black metal offering that is short on clichés and the usual black metal trappings, but long on intensity, majesty and malevolence."