This is a review that means a lot to us since we have reviewed Astarte´s music in the past and also interviewed Tristessa many many years ago. Astarte and Tristessa had a huge impact on the Greek extreme metal scene with albums like "Sirens" and "Quod Superius Sicut Inferius" that established an original and aggressive sound for the band without sacrificing originality. Besides, Astarte is considered the first all female black metal band in metal history.
Tristessa´s passing marked an end to the band´s history and this "Blackdemonium" is a really welcomed testament and a good follow up to their previous album "Demonized" from 2007. This album was almost ready to be released when Tristessa passed and it shows the evolution that the band had in those years.
And on "Blackdemonium" we find direct riffs with dark atmospheres, also blast beats and fast tempos. The black metal style is still evident but here we have also death metal and thrash metal influences that were already present in the most recent Astarte albums. On this album we have a line-up that was present on Demonized but as guest musicians: Nicolas Maiis on vocals (he also was guest musician in "Sirens") and Ice on drums.
Tristessa´s vocals are really what we expected, powerful, aggressive and extreme, interacting really well with Nicolas voices.
The production is raw, especially on drums that are a little bit buried on the mix. And the overall mix gives a sensation of a live recording with pure aggression. On this last recording Astarte sounds tight and direct, and i think this is Astarte´s most aggressive album, even more than in the early black metal times.
My favorite tracks here are "Monolith", "War" and "Godkill". This are 29 minutes of pure aggression and darkness and is a great tribute to Tristessa and the whole Astarte career.
https://astarteband.bandcamp.com/music
https://www.facebook.com/Astarte.Maria.Tristessa.Kolokouri/
https://www.instagram.com/astartebandofficial
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