Susperia's debut 'Predominance' did raise some waves back in 2001. Also in my metal-filled world. Not because of the all-stars line-up, but because it was a fresh wind from Norway. After two years, 'Predominance' still sounds fresh enough among the hundreds of semi-symphonic, keyboard-ridden, so-called black metal releases, that keep coming out and not only from Norway. Susperia is the creation of drummer Tjodalv (ex-Dimmu Borgir, ex-Old Man's Child) and guitarist Cyrus (ex-Satyricon, ex-Old Man's Child).

Thrash metal is the basis of Susperia's metal together with, surprise surprise, the black metal. It's hard to pin down any particular influences. I just hear parts of this and that here, but done with style. Thrash of Susperia is modern. Voivod, Nocturnus and old Bay Area thrash influences are brought into 21st century and futuristic feel is present, too. It is the thrash, those raging riffs, that keep Susperia breathing, not black metal. The pace of the music varies a lot, from the fast blasting to the slow, crunchy bits. The sound is very processed, but somehow Susperia make it sound good. They have the soul, that keeps them interesting. The Abyss Studios production was handled by Hypocrisy men Lars Szöke and Peter Tägtren. Usually, when the music feels boring, the band takes a twist to something better. This makes the music sound like it's lacking in the dynamics in some occasions. Not a big fault, but it still reaches my ears.

The vocalist Athera does it the black metal style and also sings some clean vocals. The black style is okay, not anything special, but his clean vocals are lame, powerless and he can't sing. It's unvarying, boring outlet. The lyrical points of view are anti-religious, sometimes very "black metal". The guitars scream, which I like, and there's quite a bunch of good solos, and the drumming is precise yet individual occasionally. And the guitar crunch is bloody wonderful. The electronics utilized may sound dated nowadays, but work well. The artwork is bloody ugly. Those poses nearly made me to leave the album on a shelf, but a quick listen changed my stance. Goth girls must like 'em PVC-clad boys...

Susperia's debut succeeds in being interesting. It was a fresh take on extreme metal. Dark modern thrash for modern fucked-up society. 'Predominance' is a goodie, but maybe not enough so, because I still haven't got the new one (I think I remember it got some very bad reviews, which made me cautious). The best songs are on the first half of the album and it gets a tad unexiting towards the end (except the wonderfully slithering 'Blood on My Hands', which is a goodie). A good enough debut album, partly very good indeed, and it stands out of the crowd. A nice alternative for all the synth-black, definitely.

Rating: 6+ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
08/21/2003 15:07