This album is the first contribution from Poland to the new growing scene of Epic doom that I've discovered. And, I must say, this is an awesome contribution. In Partibus Infidelium is Evangelist's first album, but it doesn't lack in maturity, in fact I think everything that makes epic doom one of my favorite metal genre is present. Poland isn't really a country known for its doom scene, it's more praised for its death metal one with Vader and Behemoth. But, Evangelist is influenced by Euro doom but it's not a copycat band.
First of all, the vocals are great, the singer (all the names of the members are unknown, so I'll mention them by their position, obviously) reminds me of Albert Witchfinder of the famous Reverend Bizarre, mixed with a more traditional heavy metal feel à la Bruce Dickinson. Some Messiah influences thown in the mix too. This kind of high emotional, almost operatic vocals lines fits the music perfectly. Simply listen to the awesome chorus in ''Funeral Mounds'' to get some shivers. The ghost of the classic Candlemass era lives perfectly in their sound. They are a follower of the fantasy lyrical approach, it's not cheesy though and much more subtle way than flower metal. ''Cthulhu Rising'' would be a great hint from where they took their inspiration. Some Howard references are present too, Conan is a popular subject and the many heavy metal interpretations are always welcome. The unknown singer is the main thing that makes this album an hidden gem for me, the vocals are amazing.
Apart from the vocals, we have a really nice wall of riffs. They are simple (it's still doom we're talking about, they're not played in a more traditional epic metal way like Solstice or Isen Torr). We also have nice clean and emotional solos to encounter, which are always cool to hear in doom. Riff wise, we could make a parallel to the Chilean doomsters Procession or to a lesser extent to the aforementionned Atlantean Kodex, but less epic. The instrumentation is quite typical from the epic doom scene, not very innovative, but it's done well and with passion. The riffs are heavy as hell, just like The Gates of Slumber. It is dark, serious and at only six songs and a little more than forty minutes, the album isn't repetitive. The feel is somewhat mid paced and when the last song ''Confiteor'' ends suddenly, you're up wanting more.
So, if you like the current traditional doom scene, you'll dig Evangelist for sure. They're maybe a safe band for their genre. But they're doing everything correctly and for a first record, they deserve all the credit I can give them. Doom album of 2011 for me, but I'm still waiting for the new The Wounded Kings, so we'll see.
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