My first thought was this band reminds me of a darker doomier version of the band Kyng whose new album I just reviewed. They through in a range of death metal like squeals and grunts as accents, but the vocals generally song over in a bellowed soaring. The production is weird for reasons I can't put my ears on during the first listen, but the overall effect is very dense and dark, both qualities I approve of. The second song "Reflections" doesn't grab me as strongly as the opener, though I like the more dramatic goth quiver that haunts the vocals on this one. he even dips down into a lower almost Type O baritone.
The song writing magic that enchanted the first song begins to really wane by the more cumbersome "Our Lord the Flayed One", which just seems to pull from the book of your typical heavy metal. They back off just in time with a more dynamic guitar line that has a hint of blues to it on "Innocence Gate". I totally missed where this kicked into "Sacred Flame" a song that carries more doom and gloom even amid the proliferation of guitar solos. The acid does kick in midway and finds the band drifting of into more Pink Floyd like sounds for a second. There are two passages of instrumental atmosphere before we get to another actual song. "Omen Filled Season" is more traditional metal with a dark flavor along the lines of Paradise Lost or Primordial.
I'll give this album an 8.5. It has some pretty strong moments. Overall it's impressive with the opening track the strongest, but for fan fans of dark metal with doom tendencies this is worth your time. The album drops on October 28th.
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