Gates to the Necronomicon ! Grimoire of the Ancient Ones !
Hailing from England, Damnations Hammer is a new unit and its heaviness
is to be taken seriously. This is their first album and its really damn
massive. Their main member is a veteran of the British thrash and groove
scenes and his experience and influences is key to the success of this
album. The version I have is the one released by I Hate and it's
supposed to have new guitar solos and re-recorded bass tracks, I haven't
heard the original version but the production is really thick and
strong and I wouldn't change anything. The fact the band invested in
their own recording studio truly paid off.
What we have here is crushing doom/death metal greatly influenced by the
Swiss masters Celtic Frost. They're also a power trio, but don't be
afraid, their mighty approach will leave you breathless. Throughout the
album, there's no time to lose, the pace is steady and there's no
fillers during this forty minutes voyage into the creepy world of the
Hex. After the short intro, Throne of Fire starts the album with his mid
paced attack and it's one of the longest track on the album. While
being smashing, it has awesome hooks both in the riffs and the vocals
departments. Tim Preston's delivery is very similar to the one of Tom
Gabriel Fischer, it's not the harsh style usually found in most
doom/death style, well it has almost nothing to do with the typical
death metal vocals. It's a rough and easily understandable voice crammed
with evil spirits not really far from a thrash/groove hybrid. The
vocals can get a bit repetitive and some deep growls would had been nice
but it fits the music nicely surprisingly. There's a certain urgency
and the hooks are immense, the title track is a good example of the
sound, heavy riffs, repeated memorable choruses and weird leads all this
shrouded with an occult atmosphere. The bass is loud and very present,
I'm sure this would be a very enjoyable experience live for my eardrums
and my neck ! It has the groove of doom/stoner era Cathedral mixed with
both early and modern Celtic Frost. It's fast and sometimes, I felt like
it should be slower, a song like Harbringer of Darkness answered my
prayer and gave me a very cool slow break in the middle before the
blistering attack of the riffs is back. The prelude to the massive last
track is a cool atmospheric lovecraftian instrumental creating some
momentum, opening the Gates to the Necronomicon ! It's something that
I'd like them to establish more thoroughly, I'd like a full blown
atmospheric approach mixed with their stampede crush all approach.
Nonetheless, that's a very strong first offering from these Brits and
I'm very interested to hear what they'll do in the future.
I think Damnations Hammer could appeal to most metal fans. They have the
crushing intent of death/doom, the groove of stoner metal and thrash
and the occult atmosphere found in the more extreme areas of black and
death. It's yet another huge catch by the doom masters of I Hate Records
and like their other great bands, it shouldn't go unnoticed. Give 'em a like on bookface
The Tell of the Realmbuilder : The Epic Empire Will Live On
Prelude : There are some castles that will manage to succeed the
test of time, hence preserving their cultural baggage with their solid
walls. These structures will help the old age ideologists in their
quest, a never ending homage to their gods, their influences, their
mentors. In Realmbuilder's little but honest castle, there's an idol in
the shape of a shark placed in the center of their chapel. Praise thy
altar. Like the epic metal templars they are, criticism is nothing
important, they'll keep fighting with the help of their proud sound. who
cares what the more popular cults say, who cares what me, an apostle of
no importance say.
Still, this is my testament to them. In my mind, in this era, this is a
success in itself to follow the guidance of the Shark and his road to
Manilla. Albeit being happy with the noble intentions of this duo from
the New World, the great city of New York to be more precise. Before my
continuation of this publication, I have to state that I am offering
them my full approval. I'll gladly support their real metal crusade by
offering my most sincere thoughts in a non apologetic manner.
Verse I - The Painting on the Walls : The cover art is quite
interesting, it was done by Czar (drums, vocals, lyrics) and I really
appreciate the old 80s fantasy video game/tabletop role playing game
vibe. We have a caped tyrant looking at his spires outside his castle
window and there's huge mountains in the background. It's a bit
amateurish, but for the style they play, it fits, just like Manilla
Road's artwork always fits their music even though it's obviously not
the prettiest drawings around. Epic metal is not something that we
should take very seriously, it's something that we should enjoy with our
child hearts just like when I play Dungeon and Dragon. It's touching
our imaginary perception, it touched mine at the very least.
Verse II - The Lyrical Approach : Czar, outside of his musical
endeavors is also a novelist and screenwriter. So, we have a very vivid
album with captivating ideas developed in an epic fashion. Nothing new
that their forefathers haven't told us before though, we can read
Howard's influence on Old Savage and A Conflict Between Dukes
reminds me of the Dune saga by Frank Herbert. The lyrics are often
simple, but full of imagery and they were fun to read. But in the end,
they kind of fall short compared to some other songwriters such as
Solstice or Atlantean Kodex. I'm sure the lyrics can be more complex and
even more enjoyable.
Verse III - The Construction of a Realm : A kingdom, if you're
not Alexander the Great, will take a lot of time to be established. If
your desire is to enjoy life itself, you'll be better served with small
pleasures. Being a visionnary is harsh and it's not given to everyone.
What these two guys do is passionate epic heavy/doom for the initiated
disciples and it's definitely full of nostalgia. It can be perceived as a
middle of the road band, but with the amount of this kind of steel
released, I'll gladly take what I can. They're not a lazy band, they do
not sound like a particular band, instead they're encompassing many old
school influences and making them their own.
My principal criticism towards their music is definitely the vocals,
J.H. Halberd's delivery is unorthodox and its power is lacking. Like
Realmbuilder's overall sound, it took me a while to appreciate them and
I'm still reluctant when I'm confronted with the album.I like the
dynamic that we can find in a duo (I'm a fan of Darkthrone's modern and
more traditional metal material) but I think the addition of a seasoned
vocalist would be something welcome. He's not a bad singer, but I'd like
more torque in his vocals. The moments with background/choirs vocals
are well done though. His style is not nasal as Shelton or Baker, it's
more subdued and he's at his best when it's slow and there's a
traditional doom ambiance. Nonetheless, there's some really catchy vocal
melodies like the ending of the title track, I was humming this part
while I was walking in the cold and it's epic, memorable and immediate.
Fix the ladders/Stack the stones/We build the wall that shields the empire
Verse IV - The Epitome of a Grower and the Foundations of the Realm :
When I first heard the album, I thought it was really underwhelming and
incomplete, I learned to like it, the very good riffs tamed my opinion.
They're mesmerizing and my only desire is to get vocals to match them.
It's a duo but they do have a lead guitar guest, while necessary, the
leads are not pristine and are a bit anticlimactic, especially in the
doomy track Old Savage. The songs are truly epic, the atmospheric track
Ascend to the Glass Kingdom is well done even if it's used as an
interlude in the middle of the album, I'd like to see this side of the
band more thoroughly. While the band can have really catchy moments on
their more fast paced tracks (just like Cirith Ungol or Manilla Road), I
prefer their slower numbers like the last track The Stars Disappeared from the Sky When We Uncovered the Bones of the First Gods
(no, it's not a Bal-Sagoth song). Their blend of epic heavy and doom
metal is charming and I kept trying to enter the realm, after three or
four attempts, something happened, a door got unlocked somewhere. It's
something that doesn't happen often to me, I either like something from
the start or I don't. The bass could be more present and noisy just like
their ancestors, it's a bit buried under the mix. Talking of the
production, it's appropriate and without any frills and I guess that's
how the band wanted it.
Postlude : This album is highly recommended to all epic metal
aficionados worldwide and also to the Dungeon and Dragons geeks ! It's a
better and more focused album than their debut Summon the Stone Towers
and there's slower numbers. Talking of their doom dimension, maybe
it's because I'm more a doom apostle than a traditional metal one, but I
think it's really their forte. I would happily live in their realm,
they took their time to build it, the foundations, the fortifications
and materials are solid.
Some of my wish for the band's future : longer and slower songs, more
intricate lyrics and songwriting and I'm sure it can be even more epic
than it already is !
Here's the review of my evening at my favorite venue in Montréal, the Katacombes!
Barrow Wight This band is a newcomer from the Canadian capital, Ottawa. A city not especially known for its metal scene but these guys were
cool. They're a mix of Venom, Darkthrone and NWOBHM mixed with Lord of
the Rings. They're amateurish as fuck but that's literally what they
want, the leader and founder of the band (bass/vox) is charistmatic and
lead the 2 other younger than him high schoolers with an iron hand. The
guitarist who were trying to be "theatrical" with his Hobbit cape was funny and it really was obvious than he's a new member because of some of the problems he had with the songs,
still, the set was very fun and I appreciate their sound and attitude.
Songs like "Anvil of Mordor" and "Nine Horsemen" and a tongue in cheek
stage presence made this a succesful first presence for the band in
Montréal.
PS: Fuck the drummer who had to bone his girlfriend before the show and this was apparently the reason their
set was 30 minutes late and yep, I missed the metro because of this
delay :/ No biggie, I went to watch a movie at HB's place, good way to
end a very cool evening. Dude, you're not a rockstar!
PS 2: Thanks to Andrew for the beer and
the demo, my first reward as a MA moderator! My awesomeness is finally
recognized! :oh shit: Metalian Local
heavy/speed metal hereos, Metalian is simply fucking awesome and a lot
of people were present for them. They completely destroyed with their
awesome Maidenesque leads and their soaring high vocals, their energy is
really contagious and the crowd response was awesome as always (it was
my 2nd time seeing them too). They finished their set with an awesome cover of Phantom of the Opera, damn this was great!
Voor Trash
metal. God, I know these guys are kvlt and all, but I really thought
their set was freaking awful. It's basically 2nd rate Possessed with
lame old guy punky vocals. They had some good riffs here and there
mostly from their 1985 demo Evil Metal but their new songs are very poor
(with lame titles like "Don't bring a knife to a gun fight"). The crowd
seemed to have been pleased though, I wasn't, I was bored out of my
mind for their 45 minutes set. I would like to be a chauvinist and
praise Voor simply because they're local, but I can't. There's some
bands that are best kept forgotten. A Nuclear War Now! re-edition
doesn't make them good.
Natur Man,
I probably heard their first album Head of Death 4 times this week
before the show, it's a very good trad/heavy with NWOBHM influences from
New York. The lineup of the show was different from the album though
(the bassist and the rhythm guitarist/lead singer were absent and they 2
other guys (albeit talented players) replacing them. The drummer Tooth
Log and the lead guitarist (I wonder if it's their real names?) were
great too, Tooth was the singer for this evening and there was no
backing vocals, something that would had been nice. His vocals were cool
but were suffering at the end, drumming and singing heavy metal
must be very hard!
Their set were cool, perhaps a bit too short
though (40-45 mins). They played The Messenger, Head of Death, Decion, Goblin Shark,
Mutations in Maine and 2 new songs. These new tracks were also fantastic
and more doomy than their first album. Natur certainly has a lot of
potential!
Directly from Canada's metropolis, the cosmopolitan city of Toronto, Axxion is a new heavy metal and this EP is their first release. Comparable to their friends Cauldron, the band is influenced by many heavy metal scenes including NWOBHM, some USPM and even the Swedish traditional heavy metal bands (Heavy Load & Gotham City). They're a four piece with a very cute blond woman handling the drums (I'm happy we see more women in metal these days and not just operatic chicks in corsets).
While the passion is definitely there and the goods are delivered, this EP lacks something to be truly a beast. Nevertheless, this is s a first offering and the songwriting is quite decent and shows potential. It's very enjoyable, fun and if you like good honest heavy metal you won't be disappointed. There's more strengths than mistakes, really. The band has two very competent guitarists (Sir Shred really does honor to his name in a live setting and Devon Kerr is an awesome front man who can play his share of the leads/riffs). His vocals delivery is similar to his Ontarian brethren in Midnight Malice or the aforementioned Cauldron and it's definitely enjoyable. While not a very powerful vocalist, he has maximum charisma and can hit high notes when the songs are asking for it. He can shine on either faster or midpaced tracks, these later are my favorite songs of the album (Voyager and Savage Avenger). On the other hand, I usually prefer the epic side of traditional metal, I mean I think Harley Davidsons are cool but give me sword and sorcery and I'll be in Valhalla. While I'm talking about this, I think Axxion's lyrical identity is a bit weak, outside of the two more epic tracks, the three others are your typical heavy metal drinking and fucking songs ("Livin' into these crazy nights" or "ride your stallion through the night"). Not that I don't enjoy these kind of songs, but I prefer a certain cultured lyricism, that's why I'm a fan of Manilla Road or Slough Feg, call me a boring snob, I won't mind, I would agree with you. If you want to write a song about sex, find a cool and original subjects like teledildonics or something. I'm also not a big fan of samples in music, not really an important criticism but it must be noted (the one in Crazy Nights annoyed me a bit, I feel it's pausing the momentum of this fast paced and festive song)
The guitars and riffs are very fucking good, but I think the production is a bit weak and muddy, but this little problem will probably be solved in the near future if they ever do a full length, I certainly hope so. The solos are top notch and of the highest caliber in the style (check out the dual leads in Savage Avenger). I wish the bass was louder though, the rhythm section while good is a bit underwhelming compared to the guitars and vocals. Their song structures are rather normal and safe, but this was expected with the style they play. Still, I would to hear them play an epic 8-10 minutes song, they have the blistering solos and songwriting skills to nail something like that.
This 22 minutes release is a strong slab of pure lusty and passionated heavy metal but do they have what it needs to become a forerunner of the style ? Perhaps, they are a very strong live act and their music although catchy and competent needs some refinement. One thing though, this is becoming a saturated market and it's hard to create a fuss in the underground, especially here in Canada. I mean Skull Fist or Striker did it but it's sometimes only luck. Nonetheless, a thing they managed to accomplish here is to grasp the spirit of what heavy metal was in the 80s and what it should be today, I would certainly wear their patch proudly on my new kutte. Canada is still part of the Commonwealth and this NWOBHM inspired release would certainly please Steve Harris, the de facto king of England. Like 'em on Facebook! Give 'em booze money!
Leeches of Lore - Frenzy, Ecstasy Yeah,
my love for these guys is not quite hidden. I reviewed this album and
gave it a 98%, check it out to know my opinion on it. To be brief, it's a
heavy/speed metal mashup with country, Morricone and prog influences.
An amazing underrated band that I wish I helped a bit.
Witch Mountain - Cauldron of the Wild Again,
I wrote a review for this one if you're interested. It's masterful
bluesy traditional doom metal with an amazing female vocalist. I was
lucky to see the band live 2 times in 2012 and both times they were very
great and very cool people (grateful for the review and everything)
Royal Thunder - CVI Really
amazing hard to classify rock music. When I first heard them, I dropped
their name in the blacklist because they have really borderline
metallic moments but they have so many influences. Great songwriting,
soothing and intense atmosphere and a ball crushing front woman makes RT
a band with a lot of potential, can't wait to see them live.
Jess and the Ancient Ones - s/t Masterful
Finnish occult rock à la The Devil's Blood, if you haven't heard them
and you're into this genre, you're very late my friend.
Fall of the Idols - Solemn Verses Weird
trad doom from Naperoland once again, I also wrote a review for it.
Interesing atmospheres, weird without being avant garde, experimental or
you know, trying to be.
Enslaved - RITTIR One of my
favorite bands, when they release an album it's in my top 10, usually
higher though, I need to listen to the album more, but it's still a work
made by geniuses
Mgla - With Hearts Towards None My
favorite black metal album of the year, a perfect blend of sad melodies
with old and modern influences. I was sad they canceled their presence
at Messe des Morts, but they'll finally come in March and they'll play
with Forteresse and another not yet announced band.
Nattfog - Mustan Auringon Riitti
Another black metal album, not as well known as Mgla but as good,
classic black metal with sorrowful leads, occult dark atmospheres and a
pristine songwriting.
Castle - Blacklands Once again, read my review
They toured with Witch Moutain twice so I got to meet them and they
were also very grateful for the positive review I wrote for them.
Year of the Goat - Angel's Necropolis
I really really like their EP and I was waiting anxiously for the
album, it's not as good as the EP, but it is quite awesome, it's
basically a male version of The Devil's Blood. It's with Griftegard's
singer and he has a very enjoyable voice.
The crowd
was quite fun, me and my comrades estimated the crowd to be 60%
men/40 % women, a surprising fact for these two young fellows
from Kansas (apparently, they only have sausages fest). The
atmosphere was festive and occult and it was a good day to start the
fest, this was before the news of Mgla's cancellation though, but oh
well, the borders and maybe the lack of preparation of the band
itself are the things to blame here. The Katacombes can hold like 300
people or so and it was full. Here's the reviews for the 4 bands.
Verglas: 8:30 – 9:00 - 7
Tonies out of 10
A
very cool local black metal duo, only a guitarist/singer and a
drummer. I knew the band before the fest, I bought a tape from one of
the members on Metal Archives. It's some kind of very lo fi black
metal, I wouldn't call them raw especially live, their riffs are
quite groovy and you can decipher them quite easily, I'll suggest
their demo Satanisme juvénile, it got a black and roll vibe with a
little trash attitude. Despite the neckbeard of the guitarist,
they're cool and definitely not hipster ! The vocals of this
dude were quite diverse, from high pitched screams to low groans,
these guys are talented and promising.
Sortilegia
: 9:15 – 9:50 - 8 Tonies
out of 10
The
second band of the evening was a 2 piece from Toronto. The
guitarist/singer is a gorgeous blond woman with a lot of skills
(she's also in Sylvus, they'll play the fest too). Their brand of
atmospheric/ambient black metal is really entrancing especially live.
Her vocals were lacking power though, but considering they only have
vox during like ¼ of their music, it's not a big deal. They had a
table with random occult stuff on it (candles, wine cups, bones,
sacrificial dagger). She was wearing a velvet burgundy cape with a
hood that she removed after the first song. They were selling an
exclusive rehearsal demo during the fest, my friend Iggnsthe bought
it, it's quite good. They have an ethereal occult presence reminding
me of Darkspace a bit.
Thantifaxath
: 10:05 – 10:50 - 7
Tonies out of10
A
very promising and well liked band in Montréal, this trio were very
well received. They wear black monk robes with hoods but their sound
is decidedly modern. They have some cool clean breaks and unorthodox
riffs, their vocals are nothing out of the extraordinary, the
emphasis of the band is on the riffs and I think we're all expecting
a great first full length after the very good but too short EP
released by Dark Descent Records. I personally think their set was a
bit too long and samey, but it was quite good
Archgoat
: 11:05 – 12:05 9
Tonies out of 10 The
crowd went fucking crazy for these Finnish black/death veterans, the
moshpit (I stay away from these hooligans because I have a low pain
tolerance, yes I am a pussy, bla bla). They had bloody corpsepaint
mixed with black and white colours, their bestial look only added a
welcome satanic and violent presence. They played their riff based
black/death music with passion during many violent moshpits, they
were asked to do encores twice. Archgoat is pretty amazing and we
were lucky to see their first Canadian show ever. They were a very cool replacement for Darkspace !
-Day
2 - Psaume 1 @Théâtre Plaza
It's a very
cool old venue, it can hold like 600 (my estimation)people and there's a balcony
where you have a good view of the scene, I watched some bands from
there. The merch stands were furnished even though there was no
Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult merch and I wanted some, oh well, I
got Isvind's latest album instead.
Haeres
: 5:30 – 5:55 - 6
Tonies out of 10
A competent
Québecois black metal band, they have a rich melodic sound with
interesting leads/solos, 2 members of Chasse-Galerie (they were at
the fest last year) were guests. I liked them, the singer had a good
stage presence despite their early set time (not a lot of people were
there compared to the end of the show). Nothing out of the ordinary,
nothing extraordinary, it was fine, but they're not exactly my kind
of black metal.
Scum
Sentinel : 6:10 – 6:40- 6,5 Tonies
out of 10
Pretty good
band from Montréal, their brand of black'n'roll is quite enjoyable.
They have good riffs and good vocals, if they could drop the silly
cartoonesque approach of their first album:
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d176/Ekinox/Scumshotcoverfinal.jpg,
I'm sure I could appreciate them a bit more. Their logo is top notch
though.
Panzerfaust: 6:55 – 7:30 -7 Tonies
out of 10
A veteran
act from Ontario, Panzerfaust were quite enjoyable as well. I liked
the singer a lot, a tall dude named Goliath (duh, makes sense), their
riffs were solid, a competent if not generic band. Not much to add
there.
Isvind: 7:45 – 8:25 – 9,5
Tonies out of 10
One of my
favorite black metal band right now, I was expecting good things from
their set and I wasn't disappointed. Very groovy old school Norwegian
black metal is always a good thing and the fact that the leader of
the band is named Goblin and that he has the looks of one only helps.
They played a good mix of songs from both of their excellent albums
and the crowd seemed to have been pleased by Isvind. They were my
favorite band of the evening alongside Seth.
In retrospect,
they were my highlight of the fest ! Goblin <3
Goblin from Isvind, a badass short dude!
Darkened
Nocturn Slaughtercult : 8:40 – 9:25 –
9 bloody Tonies out of 10
This was
fucking bloody, I enjoyed DNC a lot, especially Yvonne's charistmatic
playing and her long princess blond hair, she's the Rapunzel of
German black metal ! I think I prefer them in studio though, in
my opinion, their live show didn't have enough mid paced stuff, but
yeah, it was very very enjoyable and they were by far the most
spectacular band of the day with their blood spitting and their cool
corpsepaint. Despite some technical issues, their set was pretty good
and wicked, too bad they didn't have any merch, I like their logo a
lot and I wanted a patch: (
Seth: 9:40 – 10:25 – 9,5
Antoine out of 10
Well known
French black metallers Seth were the co headliners for this evening
and they were really amazing. I decided to approach the stage and I
took some pictures of the guys. They were really professional and
their stage presence was enormous. They played 2 or 3 songs from
their classic album « Les blessures de l'âme » and
considering it's one of my favorite French metal albums, this was
very cool. They played a new song as well, I can't say I enjoyed it
that much compared to their other stuff. The songs from L'Excellence
were really well done too especially Die Weihe. I personally prefer
the new vocalist compared to the one on this album even though I've
never seen the former live. This was a very cool first time for them
in Québec and North America !
Revenge
: 10:40 – 11:40 - 6 Tonies
out of 10 Learn the same solo and play it 20 times.
that's what Revenge is doing ! Some cool riffs, cool basslines
and cool drums but meh, Revenge is quite overrated in my opinion.
Fuck these lead parts are obnoxious, even Kerry king would be more
inventive than their guitarist. The crowd was pleased and that's what
important ! I'm not a fan and I was obviously going for the
other bands !
They should get Avenger from Czech
Republic next year instead ! They're the cool kind of
black/death metal
-Day
3 – Psaume 2 @Théâtre Plaza
Doors/Portes
: 5:00 Sarcomancy : 5:30 – 5:55 - 5,5 Tonies out of 10
Some
American Immortal mid era worship. Well done, but they're still
looking to master the style and actually writing good riffs., maybe
that's why they don't even have a demo yet. Nothing wrong with them,
but they're not standing out.
Mortuas
: 6:10 – 6:35 - 8 Tonies out of 10
A pleasant
surprise, this Québécois trio from Sept-Îles was pretty good. A
cool brand of traditional black with nice & well done leads from
the singer/guitarist and a cool present bass. They have a lot of
potential, my friend bought their split, I'll listen to this with
attention.
A live song from their set (credit goes to my friend Joshua McMullen) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsDGYB9A7F4
Sylvus
: 6:50 – 7:20 - 8,5Tonies out of 10
I
was expecting cool things from this Toronto band and they managed to
exceed expectations, they kicked ass so much. They
have Anastasia
from Sortilegia playing guitar alonside the very talented Darcy who's
also handling the vocals. They had that modern black sound without
being unorthodox and experimental, they're basically the future of
non-Québec Canadian black metal. So good !
Neige
Éternelle : 7:35 – 8:10 - 8,5 Tonies out of 10
Amazing
band ! I was very glad when I knew they were gonna play the
fest ! Their style of Québécois patriotic but misanthropic
Norwegian styled black metal was very cool live. Their demo is really
cool and sadly out of print (I got pins though!), you can read my
review of it here :
http://metantoinemagicalrealm.blogspot.ca/2012/09/neige-eternelle-foret-nord-cotiere.html The
singer has a really cool attitude, the singer was really hateful, he
was pissing off everyone and was screaming « FUCK YOURSELF>
in French between the songs. They were drinking beer like true
Québecois lumberjacks and they even had flannel shirts to match this
cruel but cult job.
Mgla
: 8:25 – 9:10 CANCELLED !
Well,
it's a shame they weren't able to visit our cool city and play their
very awesome brand of melodic black metal, but Sepulchral Productions
said that they'll try to make them come in early 2013 and that the
people with Messe des Morts tickets will have a better deal on the
ticket price, so hold on to them ! Maybe we'll get Darkspace
too, who knows !
Black
Witchery : 9:25 – 10:10 - 9 Tonies out of 10
BESTIAL AS
FUCK ! Man, these guys were the shit, the bass tone was really
in your face, crushing your teeth. These fast paced black/metal songs
were all glorious, simple, occult and satanic. I enjoyed them a lot
but yeah, 40 mins or so is enouuuuuuugh for these guys, man, they're
heavy. Their songs are perhaps all similar but they really have this occult edge that pseudo satanic bands like Watain are working really hard to get!
Ragnarok
: 10:25 – 11:30 I had to miss this, I was pretty dead and my
friend had an emergency, oh well. It was a perfect fest despite the
2 cancellations. If you like black metal, there was no reasons to
miss this festival and hopefully the fest will be as good next
year.
Merci Sepulchral, good job ! See y'all next
year !
"Welcome to the realm of rivalry. Where being became estranged from the ravenous time"
The third album from one of Finland's hidden jewel is a true testament to despair. Hannu Weckman (drums, some guitars) died during the recording of the album which took a long 3 years to achieve. His memory will live on through the songs and his doom will be yours to hear. Fall of the Idols plays a traditional kind of doom metal but with a very weird approach, it's truly unique without losing any references to the style's background. It's strange, while it tries to disregard the conventions, you can always find them, buried under the talented songwriting. Solemn Verses is deep and profound, prepare to kneel in an ocean of sorrow.
Solemn Verses is an ambitious album, it's very effusive, it's almost too emotional. It's poetic verses intertwined with mournful melodies. As innovative as Cathedral and as deep as Albert Witchfinder's darkest memories, The vocal approach is quite enjoyable, Jyrki Hakomäki's delivery is perfect, sometimes he sounds like a charismatic front man à la Jim Morrison but way more drunk and depressed. But at the same time, he's charming and romantic. His cleaner vocals are bewitching, an ideal companion to the crushing atmospheric riffs and he's also pretty great when he's handling the rougher and crazier vocals found on the heavier moments. His range is great and it shines on the fourth track called "Hymn". While the band is quite varied, it doesn't have annoying distinct sections, it's a well conceived melting pot and everything is tasty. If Patrick Walker (40 Watt Sun and Warning) would stop crying, he could probably release something as profound and gushing as this album. I think that's the third time I trash Walker, I should simply write a review and try to get over it !
The funeral doom aura of Finland has an influence in their sound. Some parts on the longest track of the album "Cycle of the Fallen" have clear mournful elements and a valid proof that doom doesn't need harsh vocals to be darker than the darkest black. While they don't use keys like Skepticism or Shape of Despair, their three guitars attack is very particular and gives the band a rich and full sound compared to the traditional one guitar identity. Don't be fooled, we're still in trad doom territory but there's an unquestionable will to transcend the classifications. The songs are all above 8 minutes but the album stays interesting throughout its duration, there's even some acoustic guitar on the third track and it fits the overall vibe of their music.
This album grows on you, there's so many details to find each time you hear it. It lacks nothing. Good warm production ? Yep. Great riffs & interesting leads ? Yep. Awesome abstract and poetic lyrics ? Yep. One of the best record of the year ? Yes,, definitely.
It's an album where you contemplate the cold murky waters. You're tempted to jump, but you decide to stay alive, comfortable in your fur coat coated with the blood of deers.
They toured with Witch Moutain twice so I got to meet them and they
were also very grateful for the positive review I wrote for them.
