▶️Strid End Of Life Review◀️

▶️Strid End Of Life Review◀️

So tonight we are going to the cold dark landscapes of Norway once again with STRID-END OF LIFE. This copy was released in 1994 on Blackmoon records out of Poland. Yes folks it took me 12 years to find this album and I finally got it in the mail last week. Now for those of you who don’t know. Strid were a black metal band that were active between the years of 1993-2018 with various breaks in between these years and now they are apparently active at the present time as well.
The lineup at this time was as follows
Ravn Harjar Guitars (1994-2001), Guitars, Vocals (2009-present)
Jardar Drums (1993-2001, 2009-?)
Lars Fredrik Bergstrøm Guitars (1993-1994, 2009-2014)
Storm Vocals, Bass, Keyboards (1993-2001)

Strid are credited with Pioneering misanthropic depressive black metal and I certainly can agree to this. Even though bands like Mayhem and Burzum were writing about some pretty dark subject matter In the 90s and to this day as well.

Strid is something completely different than the aforementioned bands. See what we have here is the birth of something that would leave an impression that would never be forgotten much less ever duplicated again.

yes there are alot of amazing misanthropic DSBM bands at present, however with STRID there is something compelling and downright perfect with this release because the material here is brought forth with so many ideas and emotions that will completely envelope you and remove you from life if you will. The beauty of this album is that not only was this completely new at the time? It sounded like nothing that had ever come before it.

There is very little here in the way of "influence" because the music itself doesn't sound like its trying to "go anywhere" instead its only intention is to remove the mortality from your veins and leave you in a frozen state of disbelief and serenity but also to bring you to the "END OF LIFE" if it had a soundtrack? This record would be among the ones chosen specifically for it.

Yes serenity is encapsulated in The melancholic chilling ice cold riffing and is not only enticing but beautifully painful in its razor sharp intention and overall goal and direction. Drums play a key role in hypnotizing you into the darkness and cold night skies of solitude and contemplation that echoes through the chamber walls of this masterpiece.

The vocals are pained and very real in their fragility and melancholic shrieks and gasps of hate and intolerance but its not in the way of sounding forced or the typical "Black metal style" These vocals at the time were not being done by many. perhaps some of you out there might start shouting "What about Bethlehem" well believe me I haven't forgotten about their role in depressive black metal in the slightest.

With STRID's end of life however we get something so unique for the time that it sneaked by completely unnotcied by many people even those who were into this very underground scene at the time didn't make much mention of STRID. It was always, Burzum,Darkthrone, or mayhem etc. You get the idea..... The way this album captures the spirit of true black metal is in its overall atmosphere which doesn't strive to "impress anyone" It instead embodies a spirit that is entirely comprised of ice cold isolation and solitude surrounded in a beautiful bleak landscape devoid of color or sunlight and it does this with so much conviction that many would try and imitate for years to come after the fact but so many would fail to accomplish.

▶️Strid End Of Life Review◀️