Album Details

• Artist: Ptahil
• Album: For His Satanic Majesty's Glory
• Label: Wraith Productions
• Year of Release: 2011
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: solitaryman on 2011-11-01

Ptahil are a rather new two-piece act out of Indiana, and their sound is a dark and ominous thing. Falling somewhere between the frantic black-punk of Darkthrone and the more traditional black metal of, say, early Emperor or Bathory, For His Satanic Majesty's Glory is a blunt, obvious dose of the darker stuff.

Of very crucial noting is how effective the two indivudals making this music are at properly filling the space that could otherwise lie dormant without additional support. They both dabble in guitar and bass, while one handles the drums (very well in fact, the drumming is a true highlight of this project) and they also share vocal duties. Thematically speaking, the title of the album will tell no lies in what to expect within; whether or not the satanic, anti-religious content is your cup of tea or not is not for me to decide, but for the sake of nostalgia, it feels as if nothing fits this sort of music better. As far as flow and consistently good material go, this album has both in spades. The dark, discordant riffing is at it's best on tracks like opener "The Great Satan" (which also has a disturbing, atmospheric intro), the melodically sound title track, and the doomy "Regards Foreman Exu". For the most intriguing and interesting part of the album, stay until the end. "The Gate To The Kliphotic Anti-World" is almost worth the price of admission, perfectly summarizing the last 8 tracks and offering a thematic piece of wizardry, with one of the most haunting (due to context as much as content) outros in the history of music. Seriously gives me the creeps.

That last line just about sums Ptahil up for me. There seems to be an undercurrent of diabolical vibes and expressions that runs through For His Satanic Majesty's Glory that belies the over-the-top and blunt nature of the music and lyrical content. Of course, that may just be me. When it comes to you, consider this; if you like your metal dirty, with a punk attitude and aesthetic that often shifts into more traditional metal leanings, and are gung-ho for some "hail satan!" shenanigans, then this record is probably going to satisfy you more than it did me. For the select highlights, most of it sort of chugs along without really catching my ear. Something about all that evil just makes me...tired.  

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