One can only speculate on what
1349 (the Norwegian black metal band that
Pantheon I guitarist Andrè Kvebek, aka Tjalve, once belonged to) would sound like had Kvebek not left in 2006.
1349 were a vicious sledgehammer of a band back when Kvebek was on board, although they became a lot more nuanced and musical when they went for a surprising, totally unexpected change of direction on 2009's
Revelations of the Black Flame. In what ways might Kvebek have helped to shape
1349's stylistic makeover had he stayed? One can only speculate. What we can say for sure is that when
1349's stylistic makeover came about,
Pantheon went from being described as more nuanced than
1349 to being described as less nuanced than
1349 (how ironic is that?).
Worlds I Create isn't as nuanced as
Revelations of the Black Flame, but it is more nuanced than
1349's pre-
Revelations albums. This 2009 release pretty much picks up where
Pantheon's 2006 recording
The Wanderer and His Shadow left off;
Pantheon remains a band that has more of a sense of craftsmanship than, say, the unforgiving
Gorgoroth but aren't melodic enough to be called symphonic black metal.
Worlds I Create isn't devoid of mercy, although no one will call it "black metal for people who don't like black metal." And unlike
1349's
Revelations of the Black Flame,
Worlds I Create won't be compared to
Blut Aus Nord. Even though
The Wanderer and His Shadow and
Worlds I Create are a lot alike, there is one non-stylistic difference between the two:
The Wanderer and His Shadow is a stronger and slightly more consistent effort. Nonetheless,
Worlds I Create is generally decent -- not mind-blowing, but generally decent -- and Kvebek still has admirable chops as a guitarist. ~ Alex Henderson