There is not much to say about BERSERK’s music. I guess this sentence about sums it up: if you ever wondered what Mayhem meant by “poser black metal bands,” BERSERK is it. I don’t mean to be biased or a jerk, but black metal is first of all about anti-Christianity, and second of all about originality (try to find two Emperor or two Mayhem albums that sound the same). Now I have nothing wrong against black metal music not being anti-Christian, because after all, it’s about the music, not the lyrics (most of the time). But then you can’t really call this music black metal, because black metal is one of those exceptions, where it is about the lyrics, not the music. And granted, BERSERK probably won’t be caught digging up corpses or eating their friend’s brains because they’re not trying to pose as Satanists. Their lyrics instead tell about the Celtiberians, and the battle they fought against Rome in the 2nd Century B.C.

So what makes BERSERK “posers”? Well for one it’s the lyrical clichés. They try to sound very majestic and powerful, much like Mayhem’s Grand Declaration of War, and yes, they pull it off in some places but most of the time it’s very unoriginal. Although the writing style is much more action-oriented then most black metal, it remains very cliché. Not being a big fan of lyrics, I’m not bashing BERSERK as a bad band for this reason alone. But their music is in a way very much like the lyrics.

First of all, the song structure generally goes something like this: riff A, intro; riff B – C, verse; repeat riffs B – C for 3 minutes; riff D, repeat for 2 minutes, repeat riffs B – C for 2 minutes, end song. And it’s not as if the riffs are anything great. They’re more like small motifs, consisting of about five notes, played with lots of distortion, over a second guitar playing a constant note or chord in the background, which does nothing but create constant noise. Also keep in mind the songs are about 6-7 minutes long each, and they could easily be connected into one song and you wouldn’t feel much of a difference. Needless to say there’s not much originality between these songs. There a few interesting dynamics, and drum changes, but too few to make up for the poor songwriting. There is one song which I thoroughly enjoyed though, De Este a Oeste. It’s a beautiful medieval theme with a flute weaving in and out of the melody. If anything, BERSERK creates a strong feeling of old times.

The vocals are the album’s sole plus (besides De Este a Oeste). The singing is really interesting, it sounds like a possessed church choir chanting a ritual. The screaming is good too, although not anything special.

Bottom line is, this album is boring, unoriginal, and too often cliché. Maybe it’s not exactly the definition of “poser black metal,” because it’s not as if BERSERK are posing to be the anti-Christian servants of Satan, but it’s still a weak album.

Synopsis:
Rites of Supremacy – 42%
Astapa’s Ashes – 40%
Berserker’s Blood – 40%
De Este A Oeste – 86%
Gaze at the Sky – 47%
Blood of the Gods – 49%
Journey to Eternity – 42%
Album – 45%

Berserk