Gorgoroth - Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt (2009)

Here's a hell of an album title for you. Quantos Possunt Ad Satanitatem Trahunt (say that four times fast) is the latest release from Gorgoroth, hot on the heels of a legal dispute over the name's usage. With Infernus the legal suit's victor and King and Gaahl re-naming themselves God Seed, this record sees the return of Pest to vocal duty and the addition of Tormentor (Desekrator), Frank Watkins (Obituary), and Tomas Asklund (Dissection/Dark Funeral).

That's an awful lot of musical pedigree to add into the mix with Infernus. Dare I hope for a world in which two separate, feuding bands will produce albums on par with Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam and Under the Sign of Hell? I dove into Quantos with a cautious optimism, but came out feeling wholeheartedly underwhelmed.

"Aneuthanasia" opens the album with a very solid feeling of "meh", and introduces the listener to all of the problems that will plague the rest of the album quite nicely. The terror of Gorgoroth is gone, lost in an overwhelming disconnect between instruments, jarring transitions, and uninspired songwriting. "Prayer" continues the trend, and "Rebirth" ruins any chances of saving the album by being a song about the band's legal troubles and referring to Gaahl and King as "media whores". Guys, leave the lyrical feuding to hip hop and the self-referential material to Darkthrone, mkay?

Overall, there's something missing from Quantos' mid-tempo black metal attack. It's more of a combination of things than one specific problem, but in the end it just feels flat and dispassionate. "Music with hate" this isn't, and there certainly isn't "chaos inscribed with every chord." This is easy listening black metal.

It's not really until the second half of the album that things start to look up, when "Cleansing Fire" comes tearing out of the gates with a suitable riff, but the song fails to start any church blazes. "Human Sacrifice" is another tolerable effort, with a few notable moments and a more recognizable tone. The album's closer- "Satan-Prometheus"- would have been totally at home on an earlier record, which just leaves me wondering why the entirety of Quantos isn't that good. Here are all of the hallmarks of Gorgoroth, blended together in five and a half minutes of familiar satanic insanity.

Quantos is serviceable at it's best and flat-out boring at it's worst, and there's no excuse for this kind of mediocrity in black metal. 2009 has been an utterly fantastic year, and I can't imagine giving Quantos much time. After a few listens, I've gone back to the earlier records without an ounce of regret.

Verdict: Indifference [5/10]

http://www.gorgoroth.info/