Mourning Of The Heretic "To The Shadows Bethrothed" Album Review

    Back around 2010 in the North East City of Derry would see the inception of the brilliant Gothic/Horror Inspired Black/Dark Metal outfit Mourning Of The Heretic two highly regarded EP's would follow in 2013 & 2016 after the band would go on extended hiatus until just over a year ago with the release of the excellent single Within The Night,fast forward to now and the band are on the cusp of releasing their highly anticipated debut album To The Shadows Bethrothed ,let's delve into the horrors and tales of terror within this phenomenal offering.

   

   The haunting and chilling atmosphere on the opening track The Ghost Who Loved Me combine melodic passages with a dark romanticism while the vocals have the effect of sending spine tingling fear through your thought passages likes some kind of nightmarish tale, the spooky atmosphere on A Heart so Black is both eerie and tense while the lo-fi melodic riffing push all these elements to the fore brilliantly, the piano intro on In My Arms creates a really melancholic and almost tragic atmopshere before launching into extrtmely dark and harrowing passages full of raw and heavy riffs while there's a sinister element running through the vocal delivery,this track offers something different from the previous tracks including at times some sort of burning embers is present in the background, Meridian has plenty of Gothic inspired tragicness running thoughout with a killer fast paced fully sounding melodic riffs that give the track a really majestic vibe.

   When you think you're settling into some sort of familarity we're treated to the absolutely phenomenal My Last Sunrise with has a supremely brilliant atmopshere and relentless riffing that at times reminds me of early Xasthur combined with subtle hints of Cradle Of Filth,this for me is possibly one of the standout offerings on this album,this is like some sort of tragic vampiric tale which adds to the whole horror inspired aura of proceedings, sticking to more atmospheric balck metal passages with the brilliant Possessed once again the guitar playing on this is  absolutely sublime which is further aided by the presence of the key arrangements which add a beautiful symphonic ochestration full of magnificence and bravado, that sort of symphonic majesticness is really prevelent on She Is Death ,the vocals are really pushed to the fore on this while we get even more sublime guitar wizardry,the further you go into this album the darker and more foreboding it becomes, the brilliant closing track Within The Night really implements the Gothic Rock influences within the band,once again that bravado sounding element is implemented to the full extent making this a really memorable and brilliant offering while also having that vampiric theme driving the atmopshere to another level,the lead near the end of the track is brilliantly executed ,possibly the best way to end this magnificent opus.

 

   Despite the seven year hiatus and numerous line up changes not only have Mourning Of The Heretic captured the essence present on the previous releases they've unleashed a really brilliant opus,this is a must listen if you enjoy Tales of tragedy,horror,vampires and a dark and gothic romanticism with subtle odes to Nosferatu, while combining elements of atmopsheric black metal,gothic rock and theatrical pasaages full of pomp and bravado that grabs your undivided attention.

RATING: 8.8/10

  

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Devilsome "Devilsome" EP Review

   

    For a good few years there's being a severe lack of memorable Gothic Rock/Metal bands in the mould of 90's era Danzig or Type O Negative, so it was a pleasant surprise when i was contacted by Vocalist/Bassist Garth Kidd of the absolutely brilliant Devilsome about reviewing their self titled debut EP, it also came to my attention the band features the legend that is Joe McGuigan of the legendary Gama Bomb who has been a life long friend of Garth, fast forward a period of time and plenty of listen later here are the finer details of what you can come to expect from the band.

  

    Straight away that groovy bass intro and the operatic vocals kick in on Children Of The Night you're instantly drawn into some catchy hooks,lyrically and musicially there's subtle homages to Type O Negative, this was a great choice to open proceedings with this particular track, 7th Seal is a really catchy number with all the nuances for a proper live anthem and a chorus you can sing along to,we're also treated to a tasty lead courtesy of Ex Cradle Of Filth Guitarist Richard Shaw and some absolutely qaulity keyboards from Kevy Canavan, who doesn't like some Sabbath-esque with the ultra Doomy spookiness of Morning Star this one gives you an idea of the power and range of Garth Kidd's Vocals which add a passion and emotion to the track,eventually we're taken into some killer mid paced riffage culminating in some killer lead guitar work which closes out the track, Necromantic Girl is filled with plenty of intermittent lead guitars and plemty of catchy hooks to keep your undivided attention,this is another one with a potential sing-a-long chorus.

   Possibly the fastest track on the EP with the Thrashy/Punk influenced escapades of Charge Of The Neiphilim, this has a reall D-Beat Crossover feeling to it ,there's also a subtle hint at The Misfits prevelent within this song, the basslines and leads in this one are absolutely sublime giving another positive element to proceedings, the band treat us to a cool cover version of The Zombies track Time Of The Season there's an element all their own in this which shows a diversity and originality whjich shows the band are willing to attempt something different, the closing track The Witches Of Pendle Hill is the tale about one of the most famous witch trials in England that occured in the 17th Century,these accounts always make for an interesting listen and something that's worth immersing yourself in be it musically or lyrically, yet again the catchy hooks have become seriously addcituve at this point in the EP,,the mid paced tempo creates a somewhat melancholic atmosphere gradually building up to a faster tempo during the pre-chorus and chorus which add a more upbeat tempo to the track, this is a more then fitting way to close out the EP.

  For a debut release this is way beyond my expectation and the more i've listened to it the better it's become,one or two listen will not suffice with this, yes there is some riffs and sections of songs throufghput this that you will have heard before but the application from the musicians invloved has achieved what it set out to do and that is create a few interesting and killer tales like any lover of all things horror would like to get through to the masses,this will appeal to fans of luminaries like The Misfits,Black Sabbath,90's Era Danzig,Type O Negative all done with Spooktacular aplomb,there's a dark romanticism prevelent throughout the EP were you get the feeling the monsters get to have their way which is something all genuine horror fans will enjoy,in ending this is one definitely worth a listen.

RATING:9/10

    

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Death Feast "Risen From The Tomb" Album Review

   Every so often you're made aware of new bands who like to delve deep into the old school sound from the mid eighties we all know and love,recently thanks to the fine people at Haloran Records for contacting me about doing reviews for bands on the label ,this is when i became aware of Thrash/Death/Black Metal Fiends Death Feast and have had the pleasure of listening to their excellent third full length album Risen From The Tomb let's get into the finer details of this magnificent opus.

  The eerie atmosphere of the intro The Initiation sets a tone not far removed from something from a Hammer Horror movie adding a nice homage to Old Horror movies,this is synonymous with what the band are well known for, as soon as you hear the guitars on Crossing The Fire you know you're about to delve into some evil and nasty old school riffage, this is a real headbanger of a tune and along with the intro sets the tone of what's to follow brilliantly, Banish From Monastery is full of riffs for days combined with lo-fi tones reminiscent of Sarcófago, time for some total Metal worship with the brilliant Commandments Of Metal obviously this is about spreading the word of Metal all across the world,we treated to some elements of Speed Metal throughout this track with subtle reminders to the legendary Venom, all the superlatives i've being describing so far get pushed to another level with the rip roaring majesty of Devoted Assassins were the hounds of hell are unleashed with unrelenting fury.

   Things get that bit more relentless with the hauntingly disturbing Hell Funeral the atmosphere is extrmely foreboding and does a fantastic job maintaining that unnervingly dark homage to horror while also having a very chaotic element to the overall sound, an abundance of mayhem is another prevelant theme running throughout this releases ,this becomes abundantly clear on The Evil Crown, the mayhem evloves into chaotic territory with the excellent title track Risen From The Tomb the lo-fi Guitar tone harks back to the Obsessed By Cruelty era of Sodom and has some extremely evil undertones, as soon as the bell chimes ring loud on Volcano and the Guitars roll along like a funeral procession you know you're about to get some old school mayhem that delivers with raw,evil and chaotic fury, The Blood Pact(Outro) sounds like some french horror movie and leaves a very disturbing finale to porceedings leaving you wanting even more chaos and mayhem.

 Overall Risen From The Tomb is a really enjoyable and worthwhile listen, if you like Hammer Horror, legends of Horror like Cushing,Price,Lee,Ingrid Pitt combined with homages to old school bands like Sodom,Venom,Celtic Frost and Sarcófago this is definitely an album for you,the production while having a very lo-fi approach still has a slight modern fell to it,also the musicianship is second to none,with razor sharp leads,extremely evil sounding vocals and a rawness and primitiveness stepped in the old school traditions of metal.

RATING: 9/10

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/album/7iRdruc2pKJf96sIaXJZnr?si=1AZKjcztSqSCwURwrF5ZSw

BANDCAMP: https://haloranrecords.bandcamp.com/album/hlrn002-death-feast-risen-from-the-tomb

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Superstatic "Glimmering Veil" Album Review

   Wanted to give this ridiculously overlooked album some much needed exposure and adoration, Superstatic is the side project of Rustam of the Russian Folk/Black/Doom outfit Rakoth, this is a completely different sort of entity to what Rakoth are all about with a sound stepped in the throes and misery of  90's inspired Death/Doom and subtle hints and odes to Funeral Doom luminaries such as Evoken,Esoteric and Skepticism,this is explored with magnificient abundance on the brilliant Glimmering Veil.

   Instantly there's a noticable theme with the opening track I Have No Mouth, and I Must Speak the unfathomable horrors that are about to unfold,you get the feeling with the musical structure that less is more with crushingly heavy riffs while making evrything about the atmosphere of the music,even a drum fill or simple riff adds an extremely dramatic yet bleak aura throughout this opus, Mutabor offers some really 90's inspired Death/Doom passages,this is possibly the only track on the album that has a plethora of Riffs but the focus on atmosphere is still prevelant even the presence of those whispering vocals create a foreboding darkness yet at the same time give an essence of something beautiful that lays beneath all the horrors, the darkness gets alot more noticable on House Dagoth the minimalistic tendencies within the album get used to devastating effect throuhgout this track combined with the intermittent chants in the background create an extremely haunting atmosphere.

   The Atmosphere is pushed to another level with the brilliant Edge those female chants at the start give a whole different element to proceedings and creates an extremely Ethereal yet dark ambience,again with get those whispering style vocals which have became that little bit nastier,not mentioned is the fantastic epic structure which is beautifully melancholic and adds alot of depth to the music, I Am The Doorway has a very strange type of electronic/keyboard parts that give off a really eerie atmosphere before going full on into some My Dying Bride type homage were things get that extra bit darker and heavier, The Rose Garden opens up with a beautifully arranged piano piece with a brief ochestral voice then suddenly that foreboding darkness and heaviness returns to hauntingly creep and crawl like a despicable entity lurking in the shadows ready to strike at any given moment, we go into the truly epic closing track Remember Citadel there's some sort of intermittent tranmissions that sounds like a computer programme or AI intertwined with slow building riffs and extremely taut drum sections and electronic parts, the brief heavy guitar parts and nasty growls push the whole horror inspired elements into an inevitable moment where the horrors have finally come to envelop you within a web of unescapable despair and tragedy finally consuming every fibre of your being.

   Superstatic have created a Death/Doom Opus of epic proportions, this is a really well executed and concisely created masterpiece with elements of Funeral Doom mixed with some 90's inspired Death/Doom throw in extremely dramatic and horror driven madness combined with an atmosphere that's beautiful,tragic and melancholic also created with a less is more ethos ,you're not likely to hear something as innovative and taut as Glimmering Veil in the near future.

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2siaOaTNJjRHnjvcaHf6vY?si=7PyISFQ1Rx6JJPB_6tK_ig

BANDCAMP: https://superstatic.bandcamp.com/

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