Saturday, April 7, 2012

Gestapo 666 - Gestapo of Satan (2000)


Gestapo 666 is a French Black Metal band that was formed in 2000, by Meyna'ch of Mütiilation and Noktu of Celestia. Their first demo was released that same year, and features three songs. The music is fairly raw and primitive, but somehow fails to really live up to the expectations that one might have, considering the people involved. Still, it is by no means a bad release and is worth listening to, particularly for those that appreciate the old LLN recordings.

Musically, Gestapo of Satan sounds like something that came from the French scene of the early-to-mid '90s. From the songwriting to the mediocre level of musicianship that is on display, this is reminiscent of the early Mütiilation demos, to an extent. That said, none of the songs are anywhere near as memorable as tracks like “Under Ardailles Night” or “Suffer the Gestalt”. The first song, especially, is repetitive and boring, at times. Half the song is nothing more than Meyna'ch screaming the title, “Darkness and Satan”, countless times over a pretty boring riff. It is actually a rather disappointing and worthless song and also goes to show that his vocals are far below what they once were. “Gestapo of Satan” is much better, and probably the best track on here, with guitar melodies that actually possess some sort of melancholic feeling. It is rather fast-paced and possesses the same kind of chaotic feeling that was often present on recordings such as Satanist Styrken and Vampires of Black Imperial Blood. “Church Rape Division” maintains the dismal atmosphere, but is not consistent in doing so. Only the first riff carries the same kind of miserable feeling, followed by several disjointed ideas, but returning to end out the demo.

The production is really awful, hearkening back to the heyday of the Black Legions. It is still, easily, listenable, but it is often difficult to hear all that is going on. Sadly, the guitar melodies are very low and do not stand out all that well. The drumming is a bit louder, as if closer to the microphone. The vocals stand out on top of the rest, which is sort of necessary given that Meyna'ch is unable to do what he once could. This demo would have benefited from having the guitar higher in the mix, just to place more focus on the riffs.

In the end, Gestapo 666 is not exactly the most impressive thing that either musician has ever been involved with, though it certainly has its moments. It is clear that Meyna'ch's best days were behind him, at this point, and that he and Noktu did not put a great deal of time into writing and arranging this material. Gestapo of Satan is missing certain fundamental elements that one usually looks for; however it does possess is a level of sincerity that many other releases lack. If you are into the type of raw Black Metal associated with the LLN, give this a chance.