The Ripple Effect: The Music Commentary Radio Show  

Wrapping up our week from Candlelight Records, we’re proud to shine the spotlight on one of the darkest, most imposing discs to leave scorch marks of Hades flames across my desk. 1349’s Revelations of the Black Flame has stirred up some controversy in the realm of black metal, though I can’t quite comprehend it. Revelations is, to my ears, black metal perfection in the way of Enslaved’s classic Below the Lights. Every song adds something new, intrigue in dynamics, and the album as a whole doesn’t relegate itself to being limited to a genre’s definition. Don’t get me wrong. This is a brutally dark and sinister slab of molten black metal, but these guys have taken this desolate form of expression and added layers upon layers of nuance to the music. So much so, that the whole thing becomes a compelling and addictive listen. I had read bits about 1349 for a few years and naturally, my curiosity was peaked. I was fully expecting the blackened screech of a thousand tortured souls to greet me as I dropped the needle on the record, and in so many ways, that did happen. However, there was more to the experience. While listening to Revelations, I never expected that I would spend the next hour with my jaw firmly nestled in the fibers of my carpet.