Valpurgis Night - Psalms of Solemn Virtue | 75%

A decent mix of epic doom, heavy and thrash

This band was a total surprise for me and they're a good example of an underrated act who deserves more attention. I believe their original sound is quite fresh and original and it's done tastefully. The British trio from London has a lot of chops and even though it's their first and only album to date, it's a very good one. What really pleased me is the mix of genres. Valpurgis Night goes through epic doom, heavy metal influenced by their NWOBHM ancestors and everything is rightfully coordinated. It's like putting Pagan Altar, Candlemass and Celtic Frost together with a good dose of Witchfinder General, Sabbat and an healthy dose of the rare good groove metal. It's heavy as fuck, it's cryptic and dark and it sent some shivers down my spine when the epic side of the band showed his true nature.

What really impressed me is Preacher Edwards' vocals, he's not unlike an authentic cleric spouting the holy words. He has an ominous but charming voice evoking many emotions, both mysterious and epic. He reminds me of Johan Lanqvist (the singer on Candlemass' debut) but perhaps with a narrower range. He still has a lot of charisma and emotion in his voice. He's evolving in a clean and high range and he's demonstrating the full range of his abilities throughout the whole record. He can conjure some kind of grungey attitude on the great ballad ''Woken By The Silence''. He's also handling the guitars and he's doing a good job, the tone is interesting and just like the music, it's varied enough to keep the listener interested. The songwriting is catchy and got many hooks and there's some embellishment reminding me of gothic metal à la My Dying Bride. The songs are moody and mostly slow and they're quite groovy. There's no useless solos to create transitions, it's based mostly on the vocal approach and that's definitely the strength of the band. While I appreciate the thrashy side of the band, I really prefer their laid back epic doom side and that's the identity I'd like to see developed more. A good example is the epic sections of the eight minutes final track ''Row to the Rhythm 'The drums are pretty dynamic and there's surprisingly a lot of blastbeats to be found here. They're a very apt companion to the good bass licks.

There's a good working man etiquette to this release, the production is honest although nothing special unlike the sound of the band. Sometimes, it's too much though, the intent of mixing many genres and influences is honorable but the line is hard to establish. I think the groove parts are too numerous and are detrimental to the overall quality of the album. Still, if you feel adventurous and you want to hear a different approach to epic doom. It's worth it for the vocals alone.

Their Facebook page

Eternal Champion - The Last King of Pictdom (2013) | 78%

The making of a champion

America, the land of opportunities. You can either choose to play awful metalcore, retro trhash, old school death or anything else that was or will become trendy or you can follow into the footsteps of ''no fucks given'' legends. Eternal Champion managed to truly establish its sound with their first demo, this 2 songs and 9 minutes tape. Praising the divine words of Manilla Road, they're succeeding at penetrating the epic metal scene with ease. I always liked the American epic heavy/power scene and this band while keeping things safe, they're very enjoyable. Fans of both USPM and epic metal, add them to your list and expect a massive first album in some years.

I remembered why I'm not a fan of singles or short Eps while reviewing this release, I wanted more !! 2 songs is definitely not enough when it's that good. The production for a first demo is impressive and professional, a proof that modernity in metal has its benefits. Jason Tarpey has a very nice voice, powerful when needed and high when he wants to. His clean delivery is hard to compare, it's  a bit similar to Mike Scalzi of Slough Feg. He's a good singer and the production suits his vocals better than his other band, Graven Rite (composed of Ancient Vvisdom members, ewwww!) They play a proggier version of epic metal with some Fates Warning influences, it's ok ! Eternal Champion on the other hand plays a fast paced brand of epic heavy/power metal not altogether dissimilar from the the heydays of Mark Shelton's beloved project and the aforementioned Slough Feg.

Yeah, they opened for Manilla Road for their
first show! Epic as fuck!

Their lyrical themes are awesome and they're what you're expecting from an epic metal band, it's all about Howard and Moorcock here and that's toally fine with me. It's always fun to hear about Elric and it's never getting old. Both songs are your standard 4 minutes and it works well. There's nice leads and a rich musical background that can recall the European epic scene with their Doomsword and company. The songs are very good but they feel incomplete, they could be at least 2 minutes longer without losing any of their punchy attitude. In fact, that's what the band is intending to do based on an interview I read and that's certainly got me excited as I usually prefer the longer songs.

There's cool leads such as the one in the second track but the songs could be even more intricate and complex while keeping the feel of epicness. It's not very atmosheric and it could be fleshed out. Nevertheless, this band took me by surprise and I wasn't expecting grand things and even though they're still at the first stage of their evolution, the future is promising. The songwriting, effective and without flourish, is captivating and catchy but leaves a ''gimme more'' taste in my mouth. I'll anxiously wait for a full length from these guys. 

Listen to the 2 songs on Youtube!

The Last King of Pictdom
War At the Edge of the World

Like them on Facebook, boys and girls.

The tape is sold out, I think but a a 7'' will be out soon too !

An interview with the band : http://metalsquadron.com/2013/04/16/eternal-champion-bringing-the-glory-back-to-texas/

Jex Thoth - Blood Moon Rise | 75%

The awesome artwork created by Sami Hynninen, former leader
of Reverend Bizarre.

"Hey, I like that!" - my mom

Doom metal is a dark land, often nourished by sorrow and obscure fantasies, Jex Thoth, a member of this world is a fairy with cutesy wings living with her fellow creatures. While bright like a candle in a somber room and spreading some magic powder everywhere, the little fairy got a limited charm and you can, after some effort, see right through her bubbly eyes.

Jex Thoth's sophomore album will please the fans of the first release for sure. I always been a bit ambivalent towards the band, if we can even call them a band, it's all about Jessica Thoth anyway, she changed the whole lineup for ''Blood Moon Rise''. I guess marrying the guitarist was not a good idea for the long run. For what it is, it's as good as the self titled. What is it though ? It's mum doom, a genre coined by my fellow reviewer Caspian. It's encompassing many of the more trendy influences used by the modern doomsters, be it pejorative or not, it's for you to judge. I guess it's a sister term for ''dad rock''. The album, more rock than metal, is totally centered around miss Thoth's vocals and that's definitely a good thing since she's deliberately the main asset. It's so vocally centered that it sounds like it was composed by Jessica in her shower and the songs were transposed into the studio afterwards, that's probably why it still smells like shampoo. I have no idea why they still try to play metal though and except the vocals, the music is quite underwhelming. They try to mix the savory elements of psychedelic, they succeed at times such as in Ehjä, probably their best song ever. And I admit the vocals are very damn good, it's still not making this an awesome album, because you know, riffs are important and there's not many actual riffs here. It's all about atmosphere and they certainly know how to create some emotional moments and it works, but it's a bit of a facade for me.

Ok ok, calm down, it's not a bad album by any means and if you like the current occult rock scene, this will definitely please you. I personally like bands like Graveyard, Jess and the Ancient ones or Year of the Goat but these are way way groovier and they have a good cohesion between riffs and atmosphere  While they have a good vocal approach, they can grow elsewhere as well. Jex Thoth is encompassing what is trendy in the doom world for the better or the worse. I mean, a big part of the image of the band is their leader, a good looking woman, it seems a bit shallow and it's not something I fully support.

Jessica's vocals are no less than amazing and the production is better than on the debut, more atmospheric and a bit less fuzzy. I still think the riffs could be tighter and heavier though. It's very catchy and accessible and the vocal lines are enjoyable and well written. Nevertheless, I think it's a bit overwhelming at times, it's like if the emotions were so in your face all the time that it becomes redundant. Jex is the focus of course and she fits with her music, she wrote all the album by herself and I think that's showing her limits as a songwriter. While she's talented, it lacks a very good musician/songwriter to go with her vocals. It's a good album because of her vocals and it's not a great one also because of her. The songs are mostly slow and the guitars are often in the background. It's not trying to be heavy and it's succeeding at being a smooth, pleasing album to listen to that will please most psych rock and doom fans who have no problems with a modern appropriation of old stuff. I guess I was expecting something else, something more driven by riffs and I don't really know why but I wasn't able to enjoy the album that much.

Despite my criticisms , Blood Moon Rise is a fine album, If you're looking for some music to study or even make love to, I guess it's an apt choice. I feel it could have more musicality and substance but it's good for what it is nevertheless. It's pretty safe, atmospheric psychedelic doomy rock with a knack for good sexy vocals and pure emotion. If you want Sabbathesque and groovy riffs, look elsewhere, not at the new Black Sabbath though since this has a rotten archaic smell !

Cauchemar - Tenebrario (2013) | 85%

A pact inked in blood

Here it is, the first full length album of Cauchemar after a long trip all over the world for the doom amigos. While there's 3 years between their debut EP ''La Vierge Noire'' and ''Tenebrario'' not a lot of things changed in their sound but they managed to fix most of the little defaults I thought their first release had. Cauchemar is actually a good version of the old school Québécois band Trop Féross (they're worth a look if you want to laugh!) as they're relying on a simplistic to the point approach and an unorthodox woman at the mic. The most important thing about the band is the total chemistry between the vocals and the riffs probably due to the fact Annick and François are a married couple in everyday's life. I was glad to hear the new album and I must thank the band for their friendship and the opportunity to write a review!

A complaint I heard was Annick's vocals. While I enjoy them, I reckon they're an acquired taste. They're much better than on the debut too, they're more adapted to the songwriting and her chops are better overall. Still, I think they're more enjoyable live as Annick has a lot of charisma and an aptness at theatricality. I can't wait to see them for the third time at Wings of Metal with Manilla Road, Satan and Midnight among others. Her vocals are well served by the catchy vocal lines, these were a strength of La Vierge Noire. Songs like ''Magie Noire'' or ''Les Ailes de la Mort'' had very catchy choruses and it's still the case here such as in ''D'Encre et de Sang''. She really managed to move me in ''Le Fantôme'' (one of the standout tracks) and in the dreamlike acoustic title track placed at the end of the album. There's some parts that doesn't work for me such as the chorus for ''Tête de Mort'' but it's still an improvement. While there's a clear NWOBHM influence here, she doesn't have the range of the great singers of the genre, she's more like a Terry Jones. I'm obviously not saying the singer of Pagan Altar has no range but his place at the helm is similar. Both are writing great lyrics with a total understanding of the music's atmosphere. I know she's a big fan of the mythical British horde but she's also a fan of Paul Chain, an influence on the track ''Trois Mondes''. The influence of the Italian doom scene is present but not thorougly, perhaps more in feel than in reality. I wish the psychedelic doom sound was more present in ''Tenebrario'' but knowing François, the sound is compromising between the classic rock and traditional doom taste of the guitarist (for example, Trouble and Pentragram) and Annick's darker and occult doom border-lining on black metal. Although some of the vocals can be hit and miss, it's really a daring task to compose metal in French especially the kind with clean and understandable vocals. Not a lot of traditional metal bands were really successful at Molière's language. ADX, Sortilège, Vulcain or Killers were able to but it's always been somewhat weird and not completely natural for many others. I think Cauchemar created a sound of their own and that, since their EP and even though this album is very good, I don't think their evolution is complete. There's hints to a somewhat more grandiose and developped sound in some of the songs and this could definitely lead to a more intricate songwriting.

To complete their sound recipe, there's good and very rockish riffs and the album is very cohesive regardless of the different tempos (mid paced to a bit faster, I guess?). It's not a slow band in any ways. It rarely even stops to have blistering Victor Griffinesque solos and it doesn't quite need to most of the time. There's no solos in Cauchemar (except the slow mournful solo in "Trois Mondes") but there's cool leads such as the one in "Salamandre". Nevertheless, I wish some songs had more leads and solos but the fact that the riffs are the main focus of the band leaves not a lot of place to intervene and it would probably be harmful to the rhythmn. It's fast and I think they could even take their time and develop some of the slower facets of their formula but that's my opinion, of course ! The album is rather short and there's nothing wasted, some songs could easily be six or seven minutes, they always were a tight band and I reckon they do that well. Their formula still really works though and for a first full length album, they took their sound further with an attention to details and some safe but present innovation.

The presence of a new bassist (Andrés Arango) is also noticeable, the bass was played by Annick on the EP and it was lackluster to say the least. It's still not sufficient to fully support the earthy and rocky riffs but there's some bass licks which are welcomed. The drums are professional albeit boring and safe, they lack power as well but that's more a symptom of the production that overpowers the guitars a bit too much. It's still a good mix though, it's clean, natural and has a fun ''do it yourself'' feel. The vocals are placed carefully behind the music as it's not the main asset of the band and this gives a pleasant cavernous and almost religious to Annick's voice. The guitars are heavier than on the EP as well but it's still pretty vintage and far from the extreme sound found in doom and stoner. Their 2010 debut still had a good production so the step is not very drastic. It has the doom spirit that I like, nothing is complicated and nothing is forced

As a big doomster, it's always a joy to hear a local band exploring the genre you like. They sail against the current in the Québec/Ontario metal scene populated mostly by death and black metal bands. There's a certain new found diversification these days with bands like Chthe'ilist or Beast Within. The scene has always been somewhat varied but technical/progressive bands are what Québec is known for since Voivod and a return to the basis of metal is appreciated, be it doom or anything else.

I must also salute the fact that their lyrics were once again written in French. in An artistic decision like that necessitates a lot of confidence and balls. Annick is the metal queen of Montréal (sorry Morrigan!) and she's definitely not afraid of anything and she's uncompromising. I like that it's a worldwide doom phenomenon with bands like Ocean Chief (Sweden) or Reino Ermitaño (Peru) who are singing in their mother tongue. It adds a certain vernacular charm to the music and it's easier to relate for the local fans of these bands. It's fun for me to sing some doom metal in my mother tongue, it's a good feeling . Their lyrics are good too, rooted in occultism and darkness while still being original and diverse. Cauchemar is quite unique in the small Canadian doom scene. They're not as psychedelic as Blood Ceremony and not as rooted in traditionalism and epicness as Funeral Circle, they play their cards well and they're are an hard working band with a lot of honesty both in their sound and their attitude.

I really liked ''Tenebrario'', it's a good first album for Cauchemar and it places them in a nice position in the doom world. Their label (Nuclear War Now !) doesn't seem to think they're a priority as there's some problems and delays with the release of the album and it's a damn shame. They're the sole traditional band on the black/death label and it always seemed weird to me. Nevertheless, I'm glad to follow the band through its evolution and even though I'd like them to push the boundaries further and to be a bit more epic, I'd gladly take another album like that. Long live the golden couple of Canadian doom.

The vinyl is available on Nuclear War Now!, the CD will follow soon!

Cauchemar's Facebook
Annick Giroux's festival, Wings of Metal

Trop Féross!

Putamen Insula - Souriez (2013) | 88%

A dead king is a perfect king

Putamen Insula is another Québec black metal jewel and shows how eclectic the scene is. If you read my other my stuff, you noticed some reviews for Décombres and Neige Éternellle, two traditional black metal bands with roots in the Second Wave. But this trio is quite versatile and very different from most of its peers. Led by Sovannak (vocals and guitars) who's also in a new black/punk band called Oppression  the band is clearly a beast with many faces. Their sound is original and during this awesome release, they're showing their love for both depressive raw black metal and French punk à la Bérurier Noir. While never blurry and disjointed, they can move the listeners with ease with their varied approach to the dark arts rooted in cynicism, hatred and fun (yes, you read that well, the band is having fun playing their music and it's really obvious). But the main focus is an avid social justice commentary, two songs are about environmental radicalism and that's interesting. 

There's an omnipresent misanthropic feel to be found on ''Souriez'' (Smile in French, sarcasm is always fun, eh?). The atmosphere is gloomy but nonetheless inviting. A certain amusement or pleasure emanates from the album, a livid enjoyment of the despair of other people. The lyrics are in French, while they're pretty good, the band can easily transpose their vivid ideas with their sound and that's obviously a great quality. The production is just raw enough to give the needed sonic landscapes that the songs deserves. The band often tries its hand at a humongous instrumental approach, that's really demonstrated through track four to six. It relies on the songwriting process, the cool and interesting riffs more than anything and that's a plus in my opinion. That intertwined with appealing concepts made "Souriez" a very entertaining release, I'm now pissed to have missed the release show! It's always appreciated to explore the depth of this band who's not relying on a certain aspect to grow, they care about everything. But there's still cool vocals, they're vitriolic and are often buried beneath the mix, rightfully so as it gives a raw edge to the music and adds to the despair. Half of the awesome raw black metal duo Verglas joined the band in 2012 adding a crazy maniacal rockish vibe to the recording. The drums are driving the music and are a good companion to the superb simplistic approach of Sovannak's riffs.

Musically, It's beyond groovy and the musicianship is pretty damn strong. It's brandishing some jazz, classical and avant garde touches at times showcasing their diverse and rich sound. The song ''Thugs In Leather and Spikes'' has some awesome instrumental moments such as the first 2 minutes which are basically jazz with smooth drumming. When the song starts to be metal, it has crazy rock and roll leads reminding me of surf rock à la Beach Boys. I can't emphasize enough how great the drumming is, it's full of details and experimentation. So is the bass playing (sad that the bassist left the band recently). There's nice basslicks and it's a bit more in your face than your middle of the road black metal band. It's really needed since the music is usually mid paced and the riffs are not thrown like a Panzer division tank in your face. The track ''Traditions matinales'' has this sweet post black influences without being totally wimpy like many of these bands cough Deafheaven cough. I usually admire and love bands who can evolve in many world, in many scenes while being in symbiosis with their influences. Melding punk rock to black metal, groovy rock and roll to an almost crusty approach of raw social commentary, Putamen Insula is succeeding at creating a powerful slab of hate. There's seven chapters to the story, they're all semi long tracks (from 5:30 to 8 minutes). The second half truly made the album for me, you can safely hear the adventurous side of the band here. If you're looking for an heavier, cleaner alternative to bands such as Raspberry Bulbs or Bone Awl, check them out.

It's a shame the tape is already sold out since it's very underrated and one of the best black metal releases of 2013. Please do a second pressing, guys ! It's both beauty and hatred, the songwriting is top notch and the musicianship is surprising. Putamen Insula asks for nothing, they give you everything and leave nobody untouched. Your body, your soul, your opinions, all crushed. Mange de la merde.
Putamen Insula's Facebook page
Earth First!
Greenpeace

Stoned Jesus - Seven Thunders Roar (2012) | 85%

''I'm an Indian and a Mountain ! Whatever man, I'm high !'' 

Ahhh, Ukraine, such a jewel of the former Soviet Union with its boxers, its vodka and its Borscht. Known for its black metal scene, the country is also producing a large amount of quality doom steel. Stoned Jesus, their best representative, released their sophomore album in 2012 and it's a very cool example of atmospheric doom/stoner. There's also Ethereal Riffian and Narrow House to follow, it's a small but talented scene and its potential is high.

Their debut album First Communion was pretty good but felt a bit generic and didn't brought anything fresh to the doom/stoner world. It was very fuzzy and quite Sabbathesque, nevertheless, it was promising. On Seven Thunders Roar, the high lord managed to incorporate new influences in their music and it definitely helped to improve it. The psychedelic element was present anteriorly but it's much more refined here and it's now an integrative part of the band's sound. The album is composed of many different kind of atmospheres, it can be very uplifting or heavier. It's never quite dark either, that was one of my complaints at first. I thought the album was too happy for this kind of music. I know that's a very silly reason ! The mood is indeed soothing most of the time, I need to quote one of my stoner friends who said that about the last song ''Stormy Monday'' : ''The chorus is the equivalent of lifting off on the back of a dragon above a big ocean after taking bong rips''. That's a very fitting description. The feel good side of the band can be a bit overwhelming, at least for someone such as myself who prefers the darker ambiance of doom metal. Nonetheless, they play that style very well and it works. and the songwriting is still pretty damn strong, it's served beautifully by the organic musicianship.

The complete cover art! 

Igor (guitars, vocals) is a pretty cool dude. His vocals are quite psychedelic and they're pleasing to the ear. There's no harsh vocals to be found here, it's very mom friendly, you can play the record when you're on a pic nic with your douchebags friends and they probably won't complain too much. You should probably smoke some weed with them while you're there....yeaaaaaaaah ! The epic track ''I'm the Mountain'' starts with an instrumental intro of three minutes but nonetheless, the vocals are still an important part of the band's identity as there's some really groovy choruses and sing along songs like ''Indian''. It would had been nice to hear the band in their mother tongue though (Ukrainian or Russian, I don't know actually). We're in an era where many bands choose to go back to their roots and sing in their mother tongue, if folk metal can do it, doom should too as I feel it's one of the most honest incarnation of the iron arts.

The accent is not too thick but it's a bit weird to hear an Ukrainian stoner sing ''I'm an Indian !!! Yeah, I guess he's fucking stoned, drunk or both at the same time! So, a cool clean vocal delivery similar to the classic/psychedelic era, a good range and weird ass hippie lyrics are fundamental to the band's imagery. The lyrics are quite good and not written in Engrish. They're not your typical try hard occult bullshit with references to Lucifer and to be honest, that's cool because the whole formula is getting tired. Igor wrote metaphors about his life and it's pretty damn fabulous. They're psychedelic words with a joyful 60s Acid vibe

"On a silver unicorn. Rides that lady of the storm. Heaven's bliss from up above. She's the queen of all beloved"

You can also get a glimpse of how they sound by looking at the amazing cover, I mean there's a skull on fire, a bear, an Amerindian, an owl, a crow and a deer. Weeeeeeeeed. Yessir !

The production is very lush and rich, the bass is loud in the mix but it's very flattering. The band works well as a power trio. The drummer is groovy and Igor's riffistic approach is subtle and natural. Like the production, the transitions between mid paced, slow and faster moments are very smooth. They can write longer songs effortlessly and it would be very cool to see the try to write an epic à la Dopesmoker, I think they have to skill to attain such greatness. Seven Thousands Roar is a very good album but the band is still young and I'm convinced they can do way better. I think Ancestors's progression is an apt example for them. They're basically became more progressive with each albums while never really denying their doom/stoner roots. That's what I'd like Stoned Jesus to do too. They can break their boundaries even more, man ! 

I don't know what's in their brownies but I'm gonna cook some. Here's the recipe. But first, you'll need a versatile guitar, a fuzzy bass and some groovy drumming. Don't forget the Orange amplifiers ! These are crucial to the brownies' mix ! You'll also need :

-100 lb of traditional doom metal

-25 lb of psychedelic rock influences

-125 lb of stoner rock/metal

-10 tablespoons of progressive

-10 to 15 bong hits

-A bear rug

Cook tenderly during 50 minutes and you'll have a fucking awesome doom album.

Stoned Jesus' bandcamp

Bookface

Gevurah - Necheshirion (2013) | 83%

Pretenders to the throne of Lucifer!

As I said in my review for Décombres' debut, I really think that the Québec black metal scene is one of the strongest in the world and probably the best in America. The scene always had a particular sound hugely rooted in icy atmosphere recalling the nationalistic views of certain musicians. Gevurah managed to break out of these imaginary boundaries with this EP and they did it marvelously. They don't play the chauvinism card and are not relying on the cold weather and snowy trees to build an atmosphere. I usually sense a Norwegian influence on the current black metal scene from my province and while it's noticeable here, it's much more Swedish.

Gevurah is blending the traditional sense of onslaught of the dark genre with the modern sound of nowadays with a lot of verve and honesty. On this 32 minutes EP, the duo plays an aggressive but atmospheric form of métal noir reminding me of bands like Funeral Mist or Ofermod. It sounds very European and it's influenced by the orthodox black metal scene.
It's indeed a mixture of Sweden and France for me, it reminds me of Deathspell Omega or Aosoth but nourished with the full blown attack of the the classiest Marduk albums. The songs are long (but could be longer since they really have the skills necessary to write these) and intricate and they're offering a wide variety of atmosphere. The first eight minutes track starts with a slow riff before the fast avalanche of pure unadulterated aggression. The second track Flesh Bounds Desacratred is a very fast paced number and it's evil as fuck, well the whole album reeks of evilness, really. The vocal approach is also quite spectacular, Thoth is a very talented dude (he's also handling the insane drums). I've seen one of his former bands (Atonement) live, and he destroys. His delivery is strong and the intonation of his voice fits the cold and harsh songwriting. The lyrics are sometimes pretty intelligible as well adding to the occult atmosphere. Produced by the band itself, the album sounds massive, the sound's quality is blameless. It doesn't try to be vintage or to be a member of a particular scene. The fact that one of the members has his own recording studio definitely helped the pristine quality of the mix. The sound of the album really helped the songs to be what they should be, 5 dark diverse offerings complimented with a devilish sound. The last track is a cover of the Swedish band Malign and it's quite baleful. I liked that they're not covering Mayhem, Darkthrone or any big bands that every South American bands and their cousins are covering. ''Ah fuck, not a cover of Funeral Moon again!''. It's also fun to hear a different style of black arts, their 4 original songs are all much slower and epic whereas the the cover is faster and shorter. It still fits their sound though and it easily demonstrates that the band has many tricks up its sleeve.

To help them on their quest, the musicianship of our heroes is pretty strong. I can safely say that all the ingredients are at their rightful place and while not showing off, the album has a good technical vibe for the style. They're never crossing into avant garde territory though and are always atmospheric even when it's very fast. Although I'm not a fan of orthodox black metal, Gevurah's formula really works. They have the right balance between speedy blastbeats induced parts and slow, crushing tremolo riffs. Another force of this album is that there's absolutely no crappy ambient fillers with violin, chanting monks or satanic monkeys or any shit shit like that. The Montrealer duo is beyond a doubt ready for a full length adventure and Profound Lore were very wise to sign them for this release.

Evolving into a specter characterized by a huge spiritual influence, an orthodox satanist approach and the whole approach is very well done thanks to a deep investment into the art side of the band. It's not your usual cold and forest black metal nor your ''for the glory of Satan'' Dark Funeral imitators. There's a thorough research made by the members, I thought of Behemoth for a moment. Say what you want about Nergal but the lyrical side of his band is complete, interesting and deviates from the anti-christian norm and Gevurah aims to acheive such level of imagery. It's not that I dislike when our black metal bands are using the heritage as their lyrical themes but when most of them are doing it, I think it's a bit tiresome. My 2 favorites of the QCBM scene are Gris and Akitsa and similarly to Gevurah, they both have original and distinctive themes.

Necheshirion is a very strong EP full of qualities for both traditionalists black metallers and those who like some innovation and modernity in their blend of dark atmosphere. They have a lot of potential and I'd certainly like them to push the envelope even more, they have the skills to become a big band. After an excellent demo, their first EP is quite epic and highly recommended!

Gevurah (click the candles, eh)

Buy the album on Profound Lore