Black Metal History Month -Sons ov Omega : "Reign"

In knowing what black metal is, it is just as important sometimes to study what it is not. Black metal has become a genre everyone wants to hop onto even by really reaching to squeeze themselves into the definition. We are gong to take a listen to a band who does this to some extent. This band from Sweden is more of a melodic death metal band than the black metal band they claim to be mixing clean vocals in a manner more heavy handed than even Enslaved. The first song is not bad, this albums sounds good and is well executed. Th pace eases back more some more melodic layers on " Fields of Ember' this is also the first song that speeds up into something that warrants them be considered blackened. The blacker momentum is carried over into the attack of the song after this as well. Though it kind of goes by me in a blur and doesn't really pull me into it. Lyrically they are all over the place "Nuclear Salvation" doesn't reall adhere to the album's occult themes Maleficarum" . Sometimes the vocals go into more of a croak that reminds me Shagrath.  There is a more mid-paced groove to "Malleus Maleficarum"


"Kali" finds them steering out of metal into a more hard rock place. But this is hard to argue against since it might be the album 's best song. They loosen the reins on the lead guitarist buy the time we get to "Brain Wave Zero" and allow him to rip out some impressive solos. There is a more classic metal feel to the chugs that drive this and it has more in common with Amorphis than black metal even when it speeds up. The racing guitar riff of "The Tempest" strikes me more as progressive death metal and the lower growl of the vocals helps to confirm this. There is more of a power metal meets thrash feel to the attack of "Deluge". Dark elements lurk around some of these guitar parts and the song is very well written, but these guys have a clearly scattered vision of what black metal is or isn't.  It ends with "Cthulhu" which is dark enough to make the cut as black metal though not the best song on the album as it works off of a more monochrome throb.

Overall this album is an enjoyable listen though the wheel is not being reinvented, while this can appeal to fans of black metal it does pull from many other metal genres and dilutes it from even being a blackened death metal album, I'll give it an 8. If you want something more easily defined as black metal this might not be for you.