Search - Rotting Christ :: Passage to Arcturo

Passage to Arcturo

D. Knouse | 07/21/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is the first album from Rotting Christ and one of their best. It does not have the atmosphere their latest albums do, but is more brutal and raw than them.The speed stays at a low level, the guitar parts are not too complicated, and the vocals are more Death-like than Black. The keyboards don't offer much to the album except on Gloria de Domino Inferni.The (concept ?) lyrics are not anything special but they are not of the kind which only exist to give the vocals a part in the songs (which is very common in the Black Metal Scene...).The biggest problem of this album is the little play time (about 30 mins) and if you consider that the song "The forest of N'Gai" is in the album twice, the play time gets even less and (maybe for some) makes the price too high..."

A decent purchase for completists.

D. Knouse | vancouver, washington United States | 03/01/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This album shows some early potential for what would later become one of my favorite bands. The raw production either adds to the assault or takes away from the overall sound quality, depending on your personal tastes. "The Mystical Meeting" would later be polished up a bit and added as a bonus track on "Thy Mighty Contract". The songs on this album sound as if they were recorded in someone's basement, and the songcraft is nowhere near as tight as on "Non Servium" nor as brutally accomplished as "Thy Mighty Contract". But I have to admit to feeling a touch of nostalgia when I hear "Passage to Arcturo", though I came to know this band much later on in their catalog, because of the Black Metal scene they were a part of at the time of its release. As far as that goes, this is a necessary purchase for Black Metal fans of the cold, dark, sinister sound of the early nineties. I am glad I picked up a copy, if for no other reason, just to see how humble their beginning really was. But I recommend picking up this album only if you can get a cheap copy, and only if this is the very last release you don't own. Take it easy."