Hailing for Cork, Ireland the four-piece death/black band is a bunch of hard-workers in the shade of Ireland's major representative Primordial (just like the epic/doom metal wonderkids Old Season do).
They started as a solo project of John Murphy, who lead the band into a contract with Sentinel Records to release the band's debut album "December" in 2007. After two years they return, this time under their own wings (can this be?), releasing their sophomore album "Last Light". As mentioned before the Irish are performing intense death/black metal. No they are not raw and vicious, mean and malignant. They don?t have paint on their faces and they don't bear inverted crosses, but they are capable of causing serious neck damages. They have crafted a sound that is influenced by the Swedish extreme metal scene and at the same time reflects the Irish (or maybe
British?) characteristics. Do they get melodic? Yes they do, but not up to an annoying point. You can imagine a mix of Dissection and At the Gates, while their more melodic moments will be attributed to Amon Amarth, early Primordial (there is a slight flavor of Ireland everywhere in the album) and early Paradise Lost. As far as I can understand the band is keeping on the high levels they have reached (and they have many testimonials about it), but still they do not break the barriers of worldwide reputation. Their musicianship is good, definitely above the level of acceptable, though some care must be given to the field of vocals, which are not so convincing as they would. There are some very good tunes in the tracklist, but there are also some songs quite typical. "Last Light" is a well produced album and with a simply good cover. They are on the right track and the fans of death/black metal, will enjoy this album, much more than many other requesting your penny. |
