V/A: Presumed Guilty (1998)

Presumed Guilty (1998)

A compilation album presented as a protest against censorship in the music industry, particularly within the extreme metal genres. I believe the sentiment was genuine, but it's essentially a label sampler for the now defunct Misanthropy Records and its less well-known sub-labels Elfenblut and Heroine.

It's notable for containing half a dozen previously unreleased tracks from bands/artist who were on their roster at the time, namely Solstice; Burzum; Amber Asylum; Madder Mortem; Beyond Dawn; Endvra; and Monumentum. I'll add a full list of what's included at the post's end.

As is the norm with such compilations, some tracks are stronger than others, but despite all of the featured artists sharing the same home the stylistic differences in output can be quite pronounced; e.g., the lo-fi production of Burzum is followed directly by the soft, mournful serenity of Amber Asylum.

Overall, it's a solid compilation that served a dual purpose at the time and still sounds good today, although I don't know if any or all of the aforementioned 'previously unreleased' tracks have appeared elsewhere since then. If that's your area of interest, I recommend doing some research before checking the second hand market in case you already have what's on the disc.

Full List of Artist + Track names:

01. DREAM INTO DUST: Stormbringer  

02. IN THE WOODS...: Let There Be More Light

03. SOLSTICE: The Sleeping Tyrant

04. HAGALAZ' RUNEDANCE: The Oath He Swore One Wintersday

05. PRIMORDIAL: Journey's End

06. BURZUM: Et Hvitt Lys Over Skogen 

07. AMBER ASYLUM: Dreams of Thee

08. BABYLON WHORES: Somniferum

09. MADDER MORTEM: These Mortal Sins

10. MAYHEM: Ancient Skin

11. BEYOND DAWN: Need

12. ENDVRA: Vestigial Horn  

13. APHRODISIAC: Lux Et Tenebrae

14. MONUMENTUM: The Colour of Compassion