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Nov 14, 20224 min read

Beherit - Drawing Down the Moon (1993)

FROM THE CRYPTS - CELEBRATING PAST ALBUM RELEASES in the HISTORY of HARD ROCK & HEAVY METAL…



On November 13, 1993, Finnish Black Metallers Beherit released their debut full-length studio album Drawing Down The Moon via Spinefarm Records.


The album was recorded and mixed at Studio Sound, Kuopio, Finland, and was mastered at The Exchange, London, England.



Background:

Beherit's best-known and most influential album, Drawing Down the Moon was recorded between April and August in 1992. It was released in 1993 as the band's first official LP. The album was named after a Wiccan ritual, "drawing down the Moon". The album was highly experimental within the Black Metal scene, notable for its usage of whispers and space-like electronic and synth sounds to strengthen its hypnotic atmosphere (and the occasional use of computer-altered vocals).



Side Note:

Some copies have A-side label misprinted - the label on the A-side is mirror-inverted.


The lyrics to Intro (Tireheb) were taken from the Seventh Satanic Statement, as transcribed by Anton LaVey on the Satanic Bible.


Re-releases:

Drawing Down the Moon was reissued by Candlelight Records in 2006, and by Darkness Shall Rise Productions on May 31, 2020 in cassette format.



Critical Reception:

In a review for Sputnikmusic.com, Kyle Ward writes;

“Finnish Black Metal band Beherit have their own way of going about playing their fuzzy, rumbling approach to the genre. Paper-thin production leaves two entities present, one being a mishmash of distortion guitar and drums, and the other the interesting vocals which spew out few intelligible lines, but somehow manage to captivate. Indeed, with Drawing Down The Moon, Beherit display this sound in the finest album of their career, and certainly one of the most interesting releases to come out of Finland’s black metal scene at the time. The combination of harsh, raw black metal and trudging riffing which almost feels like sludge, as well as a few surprises in the form of keyboard accents, forms a wholly successful album.
The throaty, quiet rasps and subtle whispers which comprise the vocal department fit surprisingly well with the extremely muddy guitar riffs which feature a lot of slow chords drenched in distortion and an ever-present fuzz which accompanies each instrument. The low-end is mixed incredibly high, almost melting together the bass and the guitars as they pluck away simple but effective note and chord progressions which linger around the low C string (the guitars are down-tuned to C for that added “being crushed by a freight train” effect). It’s common for black metal bands to forsake technicality and melody in favor of being “tr00” and “kvlt”, and while Drawing Down The Moon readily follows such a stature, there are moments where slight hints at simple melody are introduced which keeps things from growing terribly stale. However, the constant plodding pace of the album becomes tiresome, and moments of filler float to the surface where the guitars just sort of meander around the vocals in an attempt to fill up time.
These sorts of tracks are littered throughout the album (see the absolutely ridiculous track Summerlands), and drag away some of the replay value of the album which the more well-written songs garnered. While the production isn’t inherently headache-inducing and doesn’t contain unfathomable amounts of treble, it is slightly annoying in its tendency to just shove all of the instruments together in a corner while the vocals are produced relatively high in the mix. In the end, though, all gripes can be forgiven because when it comes down to it, Drawing Down The Moon is a really enjoyable album by a band which really tanked later in their career as they dabbled in the realm of ritualistic dark ambient which just makes them look like even bigger fools. Drawing Down The Moon was a unique Black Metal album at the time of its release in 1993, and it still remains such today, but also survives as a highly enjoyable, occasionally tongue-in-cheek satanic Black Betal album.”

More About Beherit:

Beherit is a Black Metal band from Finland. The band was formed in 1989 by Nuclear Holocausto (Marko Laiho), Black Jesus (Arjo Wennström) and Sodomatic Slaughter (Jari Pirinen), with the purpose of performing "the most primitive, savage, hell-obsessed Black Metal imaginable". Beherit is the Syriac word for Satan. Through the uncommercial nature of their music, visuals, and live performances, the band quickly attracted a cult following. Besides the "raw" sound, the band's music is noted for its avant-garde side and emphasis on atmosphere. Beherit are now regarded as a pioneer in their genre.


As a full band, Beherit released one full-length album and many demos and compilations of raw and minimalistic Black Metal. They disbanded soon after the release of the experimental 1993 album Drawing Down the Moon, which is now considered a classic of the genre. Laiho, the group's frontman, continued as a solo project and released two more albums under the band's name, H418ov21.C in 1994 and Electric Doom Synthesis in 1995. These albums are usually categorized as dark ambient.


Although they were completely electronic, the albums carried the atmosphere of the band's Black Metal recordings. Original members Nuclear Holocausto and Sodomatic Slaughter reformed the band in 2008, now a four-piece featuring new members Ancient Corpse Desekrator and Abyss.



Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells



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