Desolate Shrine "The Heart Of The Netherworld"
Among all the squally, putrid murk of modern day death metal it is often overlooked that any recipe for a decent blast of well done DM requires a jolly good measure of fury. You can cloak riffs in layers of evil, dark and frankly fucking ugly atmosphere but still there needs to be a driving force to deliver them with the required clout. As much as I love a bit of Portal, Antediluvian or Impetuous Ritual sometimes I just want to be scared shitless by the sheer intensity of the fury of the effort that is being applied.
The blazing fury on Desolate Shrine's third album explodes immediately from first track proper (a four minute plus intro is a brave way to start) "Black Fires Of God". It's seven and a half minutes of blasting DM with just the right smattering of melody applied to it's raging inferno to temper the flames perfectly. One thing very much apparent with the album is that whilst there is no denying the obvious intensity on display the band are very good at measuring and pacing the album. Listen to the opening of "Desolate Shrine" with its picked strings before it gives way to a monstrous riff and scathing vocals. The same is true on the epic "We Dawn Anew" which clocks in at over fourteen minutes long.
There's variety in the song lengths too, ranging from four mins all the way up to the aforementioned near full quarter of an hour. This is no selection of four minute slabs of DM it's an array of supporting structures to a DM monolith. Each track has its own place in the puzzle also, it's not just a collection of songs thrown together, the whole album is memorable track by track which in itself is quite an accomplishment.
Whether it's the straight forward punching of "Death In You" or the more vast expansion of album closer "Heart Of The Netherworld" there is something for all on this album. A truly remarkable follow up and a fantastic start to the new year. If this is how 2015 is going to shape up then strap in folks, it's going to be a bumpy one.
"The Heart Of The Netherworld" can purchased from Dark Descent records here.
The blazing fury on Desolate Shrine's third album explodes immediately from first track proper (a four minute plus intro is a brave way to start) "Black Fires Of God". It's seven and a half minutes of blasting DM with just the right smattering of melody applied to it's raging inferno to temper the flames perfectly. One thing very much apparent with the album is that whilst there is no denying the obvious intensity on display the band are very good at measuring and pacing the album. Listen to the opening of "Desolate Shrine" with its picked strings before it gives way to a monstrous riff and scathing vocals. The same is true on the epic "We Dawn Anew" which clocks in at over fourteen minutes long.
There's variety in the song lengths too, ranging from four mins all the way up to the aforementioned near full quarter of an hour. This is no selection of four minute slabs of DM it's an array of supporting structures to a DM monolith. Each track has its own place in the puzzle also, it's not just a collection of songs thrown together, the whole album is memorable track by track which in itself is quite an accomplishment.
Whether it's the straight forward punching of "Death In You" or the more vast expansion of album closer "Heart Of The Netherworld" there is something for all on this album. A truly remarkable follow up and a fantastic start to the new year. If this is how 2015 is going to shape up then strap in folks, it's going to be a bumpy one.
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