Fear, Emptiness, Decibel: Shove Reverend Bizarre Up Your Rectory
Before there were blogs there were these things called magazines, and the only metal magazine we still get excited about reading every month is Decibel. Here’s managing editor Andrew Bonazelli…
Defunct Finnish doom outfit presented a unique dichotomy in their day. Back in 2001, with only two demos and not a single full-length under the trio’s belts, bassist/vocalist Albert Witchfinder (Sami Albert Hynninen) had firmly established plans: “a nearly complete vision for future track lists, album art, songs and lyrics for a five-album cycle intended to span the band’s entire career.” Ambitious, huh? Creative, too. One could even interpret that approach as “progressive.” And yet, the trio was devoted to only playing “traditional, true” doom, honoring native forebears Spiritus Mortis and Minotauri, while actively belittling stoner rock as lazy and inessential. Guitarist Peter Vicar (Kimi Kärki) goes so far as to say, “In those early days, we all shared this pretty narrow vision of what doom metal should be—we felt like there was this tradition, like blues music, and we wanted to observe and stay true to it. We wanted to do things in a particular ‘doom metal’ way.”
So, how can a band be so anchored in and beholden to the past, yet have such a grandiose and detailed vision for every aspect of what they wanted to do? Cynics could note at this point that really committed cover bands kinda do the same thing, but Reverend Bizarre were never that, even on their first opus, In the Rectory of the Bizarre Reverend, immortalized in the Decibel Hall of Fame as part of (what else?) the Finnish Metal Issue. In fact, author Nick Green points out that no matter what the band said publicly, they were too good to simply make a facsimile of their ancestors’ efforts; he rightly points out that the album “bursts at the seams with intricate arrangements and whip-smart reinventions of classic sounds.” You can hear and judge for yourself, then check out the Finnish Metal Issue for the full story.
The December 2015 issue of Decibel can be purchased here, and also features Children of Bodom, Amorphis, and Swallow the Sun. But why not just get a full subscription to ensure you never miss a single issue?
