Cost: $1.00
Admittedly the band name was so curiously stupid (it might work for a brutal DM or grind band, but not this), I was almost counting on this being some sort of odd fluke that was really good. The bulk of the influence in the music seems to come from the early Nuclear Blast albums of Dimmu Borgir, and although they're nowhere near as symphonic sounding as DB, there are some limited attempts. This is described as black/thrash, which I have mixed feelings about. In a strict literal sense I do hear some '90s Slayer (unfortunately both less desirable Diabolus type stuff as well as decent Seasons in the Abyss influences) in the riffage, but absolutely none of the music has any of the '80s sound you'd typically associate with that tag. Besides, the black metal influences are the primary ones, so this doesn't seem any significantly thrashier than say, an album like Spiritual Black Dimensions.
Oddly, they completely shift gears on the closer "Sentinel," which sheds much of the black metal and seems more like a raspy-vocalled tribute to the Gothenburg melodic death scene. The solo section and harmonized twin guitar parts are probably the most compelling music on the entire CD, although a guest guitarist is credited for a solo. I personally think it's a shame, as I think I would have found a CD full of "Sentinel" style stuff to be more interesting.
No comments:
Post a Comment