Godkiller - Rebirth of the Middle Ages

Vinyl LP pressing. Formed in 1993 and hailing from Monaco, Godkiller was the vision of multi-instrumentalist and sole founding member, Duke Satanaël, who between 1996 and 2000 released an EP and two studio albums under the moniker, commencing with the black metal cult classic debut, The Rebirth of the Middle Ages. Though initially more a death metal inspired act in the formative years, Godkiller quickly evolved into a project fully engulfed in the spirit of '90s black metal, recalling acts like Emperor and Satyricon for the implementation of such strong atmospherics, though on later releases Duke incorporated more industrial and electronic elements into the compositions as part of it's creative evolution. The Rebirth of the Middle Ages was originally released in 1996, and is a prime example of finely crafted, grandiose yet raw black metal of the times, following on from the strong groundwork of 1995's demo, The Warlord, and even incorporating music from that release, with anti-Christian themes prevalent throughout and an overall concept of the battle between good and evil. With a cold, stripped down production, plus triumphantly dark yet epic riffs mixed with tortured vocals and highly effective synthesizer melodies, the EP evokes a strong Medieval atmosphere throughout, showing why The Rebirth of the Middle Ages is still highly regarded as a glorious touch of darkness from the past.