Anyone who listens to
Under the Sign of Hell alongside
Gorgoroth's first official full-length album,
Pentagram, can see that in terms of production, the Norwegian black metal combo had come a long way in the course of a few years. This early 1996 recording (which Regain Records reissued and remastered in 2007) offers much better and sharper production values than
Pentagram, a 1994 recording. But the improvement in production values did not mean that
Gorgoroth was becoming slicker or turning to symphonic black metal; that wasn't the case at all. In 1996,
Gorgoroth still favored a brutal, jagged, uncompromising approach and adhered to a firm take-no-prisoners policy. Having better production values did not mean that
Gorgoroth was becoming more accessible by mainstream standards; rather, the better, sharper production one hears on
Under the Sign of Hell actually does more to bring out the band's heaviness and intensity. The production captures more of the harshness of
Gorgoroth, which had experienced its share of lineup changes since
Pentagram. On
Under the Sign of Hell, guitarist/bassist Roger Tiegs, aka Infernus, is joined by lead singer Pest and drummer Grim; bassist Ares is added on the opener, "Revelation of Doom." In 1996, Infernus was the only remaining original member of
Gorgoroth; singer Hat, bassist Kjettar, and drummer Goat Pervertor were gone. But having a revolving-door policy did not prevent
Gorgoroth from being consistent; Infernus saw to it that the band maintained its focus regardless of who was coming or going, and sonically,
Gorgoroth took it to the next level on the occult-obsessed and unapologetically blistering
Under the Sign of Hell. ~ Alex Henderson