| Demonoir | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 26 April 2010 | |||
| Genre | Black metal | |||
| Length | 48:54 | |||
| Label | Indie, Prosthetic (US) | |||
| Producer | Ravn, Thomas Gabriel Fischer, Archaon | |||
| 1349 chronology | ||||
| ||||
Demonoir is the fifth full-length album by Norwegian black metal band 1349. The new album shows "a return to the band's more traditional, raw-yet-technical black metal sound." [1] It was released on 26 April 2010 in Europe and the day after in North America.
Ravn, 1349's lead singer, stated that most of Demonoir was written and rehearsed over the course of a few months. Archaon, the guitarist, was the main songwriter, but the other members helped arrange and structure the tracks. [2] Demonoir was co-produced by Thomas Gabriel Fischer (along with Ravn and Archeon) and was recorded at Studio Nyhagen in Norway. [3]
Demonoir features a return to 1349's old style compared to its more experimental predecessor, Revelations of the Black Flame . [4] Critics characterized Demonoir as having traditional aspects of black metal, including fast tempos, a "razor-wire guitar sound", [5] and an overall aggressive sound. [6] The songs on Demonoir are separated by ambient interludes, all named "Tunnel of Set". [5]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |   [4] |
| Allmusic | [5] |
| Blabbermouth.net |  [6] |
| Blistering | [7] |
| Lords of Metal | [8] |
| Metal Forge | [9] |
| Metal Review | [10] |
| Sputnikmusic | [11] |
Demonoir was released on April 26, 2010 in Europe via Indie Recordings, and one day later in North America via Prosthetic Records. Along with the standard release, a limited digipack version and a double 180-gram vinyl version of Demonoir were released, both of which contained covers of songs along with the album. [1]
Demonoir received generally positive reviews from critics, who noted that it was a return to form after the mixed reception of Revelations of the Black Flame. Justin M. Norton stated in an About.com review that Demonoir showed "why [1349] are one of the most important Norwegian black metal bands". [4] Phil Freeman wrote in an AllMusic review that Demonoir "will almost certainly please longtime fans who found Revelations [the album preceding Demonoir] to be a weird stylistic left turn, but it's also a good introduction to 1349". [5] Scott Alisoglu in a Blabbermouth review considered the album "a vicious, unnerving, and terrifically teeth-rattling return to form" for 1349. [6] Tom Findlay wrote in Blistering: "Demonoir casts its net somewhere between Mayhem, Aborym, Gorgoroth and Immortal, but successfully carves its own idiosyncratic niche and personality". [7]
According to AllMusic: [5]
