Presumed Guilty

(Misanthropy)
by Scott Hefflon

Beautiful and ugly, Presumed Guilty is a multi-label compilation dedicated to freedom of speech. Taste is subjective, but artistic freedom should be a guarantee, no matter what culture you’re from. Misanthropy, Elfenblut, and Heroine combine forces for the good of free expression, giving voice in this CD’s 75 minutes and 20-page booklet. Many of the bands quote poets, philosophers, and psychologists on the topic, perhaps a tad more comprehensibly than their own band’s screechings. Many unreleased tracks and a low unit cost make this diverse compilation something special. While perhaps difficult listening for the uninitiated (or practically anyone, really), Presumed Guilty compiles Gothic sparseness, undefinable soundscapes of indescribable beauty and unspeakable horror, melodic doom/black metal, and good old throat-slashing violent black/death metal. Unreleased tracks by Burzum, Monumentum, Solstice, and Mayhem join ranks with Dreams Into Dust, In The Woods, Primordial, Amber Asylum, Babylon Whores, Madder Mortem, Beyond Dawn, Endura, and Aphrodisiac.
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