BIBLEBLACK – The Black Swan Epilogue

It all started when Mikael Wikström (a.k.a. Mike Wead) of King Diamond / Mercyful Fate wanted to embark on yet another Metal project. Bibleblack is Wead’s latest effort along with his fellow member from the late Power Metal band Abstrakt Algebra, Simon Johansson. While feeling the depth of Bibleblack in their debut, The Black Swan Epilogue, one cannot ignore the spirit of King Diamond and his horrific stories as they lurk beneath in the band’s music, lyrics and throughout its atmosphere. However, Bibleblack are a not a Heavy Metal group or even remind of a first wave of Black Metal of any kind. Mike Wead and his peers took King Diamond’s horrific themes and took them into a new level of extreme. The result of these well-done efforts created a Melodic Death / Thrash Metal mayhem that will make the black order shiver.

Through the years of his career, King Diamond, in his music and his lyrical themes, was well known (and still is) as a performer aside from his great talent as a multiple vocals singer. On Bibleblack, the songs are almost in the same variation as the old and modern classics of the King. The assaulting and charging music, which is emblazoned by highly addictive melodies, serves as the next level. The Black Swan Epilogue is the answer to whoever asked what could have been if the King had gone to the darker and extreme edges of Metal. This album is Mike Wead’s answer to that particular question. Instead of the King, as a singer, Bibleblack present a highly skilled growler, who storms with clear high-end growls of chaos, Kacper Rozanski of the Black / Thrash Band Nattas. With the touch of evil in his mouth, Rozanski also demonstrates some rare moments of a wonderful clean voice, as presented in the great track “Walk into Light (Liars Parade)” and in the album’s finest self-titled, “The Black Swan Epilogue”.

As for the production, it seems that Bibleblack made sure that they would not sound similar to King so they sharpened their blades with saw like guitars that wouldn’t last without a massive bass cover because of their depth shortage. Nevertheless, there are sections, which marks a kind of resemblance to albums like The Puppet Master and Give Me Your Soul Please. This fact makes the band’s change routine almost as unimportant in a way. Overall, the production is awesome and it presents the group with raw energy and prowess, kinda like the Wintersun project of the famous Swedish producer Dan Swano.

The one factor that amazes more than others is the darkened feeling of eroticism, satanic like rituals and coldness. This diverse aspect serves the album well, even if the band’s members do not share the dark beliefs, the sentiment is there, maybe unintentionally. This kind of nature can be found in many Black Metal bands such as Cradle Of Filth and members of the Norwegian Satanic Black Metal scene. Nonetheless, Bibleblack were able to guide these dark sensations in a way that you would enjoy this experience and that is why their music flows through the waves of this horrific black ocean.  In comparison, King Diamond made fans think many different things regarding his wacky / evil characters, Bibleblack, on the other hand, show their listeners the true meaning of evil and none of them will have any reason to giggle.

Highlights: After the prologue of “Leaving The Shangri-la” the storm erupts and “Mourning Becomes Me” rushes in with a chilling dagger in its icy-white teeth. Bibleblack really know how to launch an album with that track. “I Am Legion” has a great Thrashy main riff of late Thrash Metal acts that kicks you in the gut, yet throughout its length the song takes some courses which are rather confusing until it gets back to that same starting riff – A little more than solid at the least. “The Dark Engine” and “Bleed” are solid tracks with harder edges, or extreme Metal, yet all in good taste. The two closing tracks, “The Black Swan Epilogue” and “Walk into Light (Liars Parade)”  are the album’s best performances regarding every topic – first class writing and big-time music that will remain for long hours alongside the most sensational aura of darkness to be found in the album.