GRAUSAMKEIT – CHRISTENSCHMÄHUNG LP (Darker Than Black / Final Agony Records)

On so many levels, ‘Christenschmähung’ is one of the worst records I’ve ever bought. The music on this album is unbelievably sloppy. Amateurism seeps from every note. The playing is second rate at best; the vocals are terrible (it sounds like the singer is too close to the microphone – if indeed it is a microphone); the production is ropey; the constant hiss confirms that no money went to waste on that fateful day this was recorded 14 years ago.

It all sounds like it was thrown together in a couple of hours using the worst equipment and recording techniques (un)known to man, making for one of the most authentically underground Black Metal records you are likely to hear. In spite of their limitations – in fact, because of them – Grausamkeit come highly recommended.

Certainly not for everyone, ‘Christenschmähung’ (which is Grausamkeit’s only full-length) can be a challenging and frustrating listen as well as an invigorating one. Dreadful and brilliant at the same time, this LP possesses the true spirit of Black Metal the way it was supposed to be.

Evilometer: 666/666