Count Raven - Mammons War (I Hate Records )
By Chris Barnes
October 13, 2009

Mammons War should have been The Devil You Know. The former surpasses expectations while the latter largely fell short. I think it’s safe to say that some of you that felt underwhelmed by Heaven & Hell’s debut record, will find refuge in Count Raven’s Mammons War. Fodde is no RJD in the voice department (but damn close to Black Sabbath’s original singer), but the man’s command of not only the all-important guitar, as well as the keys, string arrangements and poignant lyrics definitely help to shore up any gaps that may be perceived in the vocal department.

Thirteen years after the release of the brilliant Messiah of Confusion and 3 years since the 2003 reunion with original collaborators Tommy Eriksson and Christer “Renfield" Petterson went south, Dan “Fodde” Fondelius resurrects the Count Raven moniker with the Mammons War release. This time, he’s joined by two new members, Fredrik Jansson and drummer Jens Bock, the latter of which did time with Dan in his Doomsday Gouvernment project. The end result is a Doom Metal record that sounds like pent-up creativity unleashed. Maybe the 13 year break helped Dan cook the songs in his head a little more. “Scream”, a poignant and all-too-real goodbye to a dying planet makes the hair on my arms stand on end because this isn’t some sword & sorcery dealie, but ripped from the headlines. If you’re looking for escapist fare, steer clear of this one. The song is boosted with some subtle funeral organ and a beautifully rendered string arrangement in the middle. Looking for Sabbath circa the first five? “Nashira” fits the bill, a little too close for comfort sometimes, but unarguably bearing both a catchy riff, chorus and an exceptionally searing guitar solo. The title track, “Mammons War” is the best track on the record in my estimation, and is literally an audio rapture. There is no guitar whatsoever… instead it’s keys, strings, a judgment day chorus and intense focus on Fodde’s plaintive wail. I love Dan’s subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) stabs at collective social consciousness and, according to “Mammons War”, we’ve fucked up big time, it's time to pay, and the Big Man thinks it's high time to collect. “A Lifetime”, while not as immediately engaging as the songs I’ve mentioned before, features a great shift in feel towards the middle – from giant, steamroller Doom riff to acoustic guitars and congos, then back again. Fodde’s no one trick pony. “To Kill A Child” may be one of the most original – and originally shocking – songs I’ve heard in terms of original content. We’ve all heard about dethroned emperors, we’ve mined miles of Judeo-Christian imagery to the point of distraction, we’ve heard of smoking weed and time travel… but this is the first time I’ve heard a song addressing Filicide, especially that of an Autistic child. I won’t ruin it for you, but again, society is at fault in Fodde’s eyes. “To Love, Wherever You Are” is a beautifully melancholy acoustic ode to yet to come. “Increasing Deserts” is similar in feel to the title track, again a majestically melancholy keyboard-driven track that seem to express that the planet has fully had it's share of us.

That's not to say that all songs fare as well as the ones mentioned above. The songs co-written with Jens and Fredrik tend to drag and meander – saved only but a guitar solo (“The Entity”) and another by a sudden climax and tempo change the last minute of the arrangement (“Seven Days”). With the record clocking in at 70 minutes, these two songs could have easily been shelved to be re-arranged for another time or at the very least, edited down to manageable lengths.

Despite that, Mammons War feels like we’ve caught Fodde releasing years of creativity just yearning to be made kinetic. The relative lack of escapist fare shows a man struggling with the issues of the not-to-distant future, if not the here-and-now. There is definitely that “progression of an artist” type of vibe here. Perhaps it took him 13 years to dig himself out of a creative rut. This album shouldn’t just be looked at simply as “Doom Metal that rocks” but a representation of both a man as an artist and and as a human being coping with a world in crisis.

Purchase Mammons War at the Hellride Music Superstore

Listen to a MP3 of Magic Is…

Visit the Count Raven website at www.myspace.com/countraventheband

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Haze

Nice review! I'm partial to the title track too

Chris

It definitely has character - it's not something I'd expect to find on a Count Raven album, but it works. Brilliant track, or at least it works for me.

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Dead Again

SOUNDS like a winner to me. And yeah I was a bit disappointed with the new H&H (I kind of wish they would have had an outside producer help them with the sound and songs but oh well.....it is what it is......).

My copy should arrive any day now from HELLRIDE. A good listen driving to work as we somehow missed fall and jumped straight to winter up north. SUCKS. Snow everywhere!!!

Chris

They should've had the guy who produced "Dehumanizer" do "The Devil...". I weep that he did not. I weep and gnash my teeth and shake my fist at the sky. I mean, with VA's drums hit they sound like cannons, and he gave that opening riff some crushing power... he was sorely missed on the new H&H. They needed someone to give them honest feedback about the sound and arrangements. Ah well.

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Haze

It does break up the album nicely, it kind of reminds me of some sort of 'new age music' but with obviously a more dire message.

The Doomanoid

This is one to get!

Rhaizes Shadows

One of my fav's of the year, excellent release.

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For how long do we tolerate these fools drunk with power
Drunk with power and obsessed with death
Death and destruction, drunk with power