Review by Kostas on February 16, 2021.

After the release of the historic Thy Mighty Contract, Rotting Christ composed the album that granted them some fame in the underground of the 90s, Non Serviam. The main difference between the debut and this second full-length work of theirs is the enriched sound, which is the outcome of endless solos and the extensive use of keyboards.

The aforementioned solos are the main element that was missing from the band's debut. And they are actually the most noticeable characteristic of this release, being clever and enjoyable, especially in the second half of 'Where Mortals Have No Pride'. There is also a general leaning of the band towards more complex songwriting, with interesting lyrics and constant changes between fast, aggressive parts and more slow, nostalgic ones.

Despite the important improvement in the guitar section, there is still a lack of potential and essence. A dull background which is still present in every song and which is even more remarkable now, with Sakis sounding like a Greek teenager with a bad accent (saying isons instead of icons) trying too hard to be evil. In addition, there are parts where the keyboards sound completely unnecessary, the title track being the most typical example. The drums add to the poor quality, since they seem mechanical, almost as if the band added them in the end just because they had to.

This whole album is proof of the wrong perception the band had of themselves at the time. Instead of investing in what they were good at, which is basically atmosphere, they composed wannabe black metal songs which might be pleasant to listen to from time to time but unfortunately all end up being biased. In the end, Non Serviam leaves a bittersweet taste after listening to it. It does not really appear to be a bad album but rather a continuation towards a wrong path and a trap, from which Rotting Christ thankfully escaped with Triarchy of The Lost Lovers.

Rating: 6.3 out of 10

Review by Wiley on August 20, 2009.

Sometimes when a CD begins you just have a bad feeling in the back of your head. You can shrug off a cliche concept due to the execution, but here with Eibon La Furies - just cant be done.

I really like the packaging, and am more than a fan of the Jack The Ripper - but come on, this is an era done to death. A Black Metal album that is so overwrapped in noise and drum machine antics you cant really get a grip on the scope of music going on, seemingly this is all you get. Of course there is a saving grace here and there when the symphonics kick in, and you hope the clarity keeps up because you feel really interesting idea's floating around here and there. Again, a little too sterile and noisey to really complete the feel they are going for.

There are insane levels of high end guitar on this disc, scratch and gritty, more than enough stereotypical Black Metal feel to them. Solid as they are, they are often drowned by a wash of digital blast beats. The inclusion of drum machines is not the worst here as it does seem there was a bit of thought to the programming to keep in style of the music. Draw back being a clean to distorted mix on the drums, obviously bringing a more industrial feel to things - it just doesnt seem to lend itself to a solid foundation for something as organic as Black Metal. The vocals are mixed high, gothic styled with the main stream being croak and high rasp. The female vocals that rise occasionally seem a bit forced, right place - wrong take, something just seems missing. The synths and noisescapes are to me what save this disc and give the listener something to look forward to. There is more than enough orchestration when the atmosphere rises above the black noise to move you and want you to search on for more.

The disc itself is very well packaged for an independent. There is a very eerie montage of random artwork from the Ripper archives, complete with a map of old london, and even some really cheesey looking pics of the band in their late 1800-early 1900's garb attempting to capture the spirit of the time. There is also a video included here that is well done, a bit shaky and with multi edits here and there. Unfortunately it features much of the same near cheesy nods to ripper-era london. Maybe a little cleaner mix of the music, and I could appreciate what is going on - that and lose the cheesier aspects of image and I think maybe we could see what evil is truly brooding in your blackhearts.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 6.5
Atmosphere: 4.0
Production: 4.0
Originality: 3.0
Overall: 4.0

Rating: 4.3