Vermin

Released 2005 Review: Norway's Old Man's Child is fronted by DIMMU BORGIR member Galder. Galder, who plays lead guitar, bass and acoustic guitar, has returned with his side project, Old Man's Child. With all of the Norwegian black metal bands flooding the market today, it can be difficult to discern between them. But OMC are different than other dark metal bands like Cradle of Filth and (Galder's other band) Dimmu Borgir, because they don't include artsy things like an orchestra. Instead, Old Man's Child just focus on sheer brutality. Granted, "Vermin," the band's seventh album, doesn't conquer much new ground that other black metal bands haven't already covered, but it is relentless, not very melodic black metal at its finest. It's brimming with raspy vocals, thrashy guitars and lightning fast drum work. "Enslaved And Condemned" begins slowly, but the soft strumming is flattened soon thereafter by a speedy guitar and blinding double kick drum attack. Later on, "War Of Fidelity," is a flurry of buzzsaw guitars, "The Flames Of Deceit" is very thrashy, with fast, dual guitar shredding, and "Black Marvels Of Death" has thunderous drum punches. There are a few moments of relief: "In Torment's Orbit" sprinkles on some spacious keyboards, and "Twilight Damnation" begins with some acoustic plucking which is actually rather pretty. All in all, however, "Vermin" is a very brutal, very opaque album. It may be the only (and therefore best) black metal album to be released in 2005, and it's strongly recommended to fans of bands like Dimmu Borgir, Immortal, and Grimfist. Track Listing: 1. Enslaved And Condemned 2. The Plague Of Sorrow 3. War Of Fidelity 4. In Torment's Orbit 5. Lord Of Command (Bringer Of Hate) 6. The Flames Of Deceit 7. Black Marvels Of Death 8. Twilight Damnation 9. ...As Evil Descends