Coming out the same year as their black metal brethren Sad Legend’s (see previous post in this series) debut album, Oathean instead take a different, more death-metal and folk inspired approach to their brand of melodic black metal.   However, there are some similarities as well, such as the melodramatic, mournful guitar-driven melodies, the atmospheric keyboards,   What really makes this album stand out are the inclusion of traditional Korean folk instruments, such as the daegeum.   Unfortunately, I’m not entirely sure if the band was able to find someone who was able to successfully translate the song titles into proper English, so you’re stuck with song titles like “Transparent Blue Light, So Too Much Tearful”, “In Fear With Shiver”, and my personal favorite, “The Rotten Egg Smell Stuck on My Belly”.
ESL song titles aside, the music itself is quite well done!

Both Sad Legend and Oathean made their debuts in what is still considered a tiny metal scene (and played black metal, at that), so, with the exception of Scandinavia and Finland, we would all understand if these records were garbage.   Obviously, they’re not at the same level as, say, “In the Nightside Eclipse” or “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas”, but the quality is quite good considering that before these albums came out, there was very little in the way of a Korean black metal (or extreme metal, for that matter) scene.

A good representation of what this album is all about can be found in the song “In Fear With Shiver” (haha it’s hard to even write that with a straight face), which contains a lot of really interesting stuff.   Adventurous, wintry melodies, a sorrowful acoustic guitar and daegeum accompaniment, Kim Do-su’s raspy howl that reminds me of a wounded, dying wolf…it’s a really interesting song!   Below I’ve posted a live version, and you can see how they replaced the daegeum part with their female vocalist (Lim Ji-nah) singing the melody instead, which is kind of cool.   Also, check out Kim Do-su’s passionate vocal performance as well, especially at the end!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU4KG-GPr5M

 

I feel like maybe I’m reading too much into this, but I’m starting to notice that these Korean black metal bands seem to be channeling the feeling of han (see my last post, and/or Wikipedia for a brief mention of what han is) in their music.   Yeah, I know that ALL black metal bands are attempting to channel these feelings of depression, isolation, hopelessness, etc. in their music, but the fact that Koreans straight up have a unique word that captures all these emotions/mental states (Sad Legend even have a song named after it) perhaps makes it worthy of at least briefly discussing or mentioning.    Remember, these albums were coming out in the late 1990s, before the whole DSBM (Depressive Suicidal Black Metal) trend became all the rage.   In the ’90s, black metal was all about Satan, blasphemy, and misanthropy.   While I highly doubt these Korean black metal bands had any influence on the early DSBM artists and trendsetters, there’s something to be said for this original, “sad” take on black metal.   I’m not entirely sure what the lyrics are to this album, but they’re definitely coming from a dark place in the lyricist’s psyche, and you can hear it in the music.   Pretty cool, and definitely an overlooked, unique detail in attempting to understand Korean black metal.   As I’m writing this, I just checked back on an Oathean video interview with ROKrock (a now seemingly defunct Korean rock/metal site) conducted a couple years ago, and it looks like the interview touched on this (han is mentioned) a bit as well, in that the first album especially feels very “Korean”.   If you’re interested, check it out!

Anyway, I have no idea what the band is up to these days, as I guess there’s been a bunch of drama and turmoil in the Oathean camp as of late.   I probably shouldn’t go into the details in this post (for now, at least), but as of this writing I’d say the status of the band is unknown.   Too bad, as many would argue that they’re probably the best, or at least the most popular, Korean extreme metal band.

Recommended tracks:  “In Fear With Shiver”, “The Eyes of Tremendous Sorrow”, and “Punishment of Being Alone, Its Cruel Strength Breaks Me Away”.

---

OK, enough dorky black metal chat!   Let’s talk snacks!

Doritos Mango Salsa

OK, now these are seriously funky.   Possibly the strangest chip I’ve ever tasted, honestly, and I really can’t decide if I like it or not.   At first it has this really cool salty, sweet (mango flavor), slightly spicy, zesty lime flavor if that makes any sense at all.   However, after a couple seconds it gets pretty sweet, and the aftertaste is kind of gross.   After waiting a bit, the sweetness goes away and you’re left with a mild spicy kick that lingers for awhile.   Yeah, kind of like the Cheetos Honey Cheese I talked about in the last post, these wouldn’t be too bad if they weren’t so fucking sweet.   Bleh, yeah overall I’m not feeling these at all.   They started off quite tasty, though!

I’m pretty sure these are the same as the American nacho cheese ones, they taste exactly the same.   Unfortunately, these are as good as it gets here in Korea.   Also, these are the hardest to find as well, or at least it seems that way.   Most convenience or grocery stores only carry like the honey chili flavor (ugh) or the Cool Ranch, which is fine.   However, I guess it’s kind of the same complaint I had about the lack of an original Cheetos flavor available…when you’re in the mood for just some good ol’ cheesy corn chips/snacks, it always seems like are out of the question.   In fact, I could just be getting paranoid, but I’m pretty sure all of the convenience stores near me just straight up discontinued carrying Doritos altogether!   I’ve obviously been in this country too long because A) I actually noticed that they stopped stocking Doritos, and B) I’m seriously considering writing to Frito-Lay and/or Lotte (who I guess is in charge of Doritos production in South Korea or something) to tell them that these flavors are wack!   Haha I doubt they’ll listen to me or even respond, but who knows?!  I may even get some insider info about upcoming Doritos snacks.   Maybe they’ll even put ME on the cover of the Doritos bag!!   Yes, that’s it!!  I’ll be famous!!!!  MONEY!!!  WOMEN!!!!  POWER!!!! IT WILL ALL BE MINE!!!!!!
8/10

While the traditional Doritos corn chip taste is there and I dig the mildly spicy chili flavor, unfortunately I feel like the honey taste is also slightly too strong and makes for a weird combination, aftertaste, and lingering flavor on your lips that you can taste if you lick them.   Yeah after awhile these taste fairly funky, but definitely not as weird/bad as the mango salsa one.   Still not as good as the typical nacho cheese flavor that you’d find anywhere in the US.   However, you’ll find THESE anywhere they sell Doritos, especially to capitalize on the whole “honey butter” craze that’s been all the rage here these past couple of years, although apparently everyone’s starting to get sick of it now (thank fuck…I’ve never been a fan).
6.5/10