Album Review; Éohum - Revelations, Aurora Of An Epoch

Released Via Mycelium Networks
Genre: Avant-Garde Black/Doom Metal

To call Eohum an avant-garde band is an understatement, but if you decide not to listen to this record purely on the basis that this is not orthodox music you will be missing out on an interesting and genuinely well-crafted record that twists in and out of the confines of musical convention in order to deliver something that so many black metal bands claim to offer and fail to do so: unique and strangely beautiful metal carved from pure chaos. Imagine if Morbus Chron were massive Neurosis fans that just could not decide what one genre to stick to before throwing caution to the wind and playing damn near every genre in one record. The instrumental track ‘Rooted Deep Within’ shows you all you need to know about this band; they know their instruments (instruments which include a French horn and a trumpet) and they’re completely unafraid to play about with compositional ideas, all the while managing to keep a good flow in the structure of the record. Considering the completely jarring nature of a song such as ‘Defined Sacredness’, it’s incredible that Eohum have managed to incorporate hooks into these tracks. Transitions from fast to slow tempos are completely out of the blue more often than not and the brass instruments should sound sickeningly out of place, but all of these eccentricities, coupled with Cryptopsy vocalist Matt McGachy’s combination of modern metal screams and admittedly rather marmite clean singing form an album that defines Eohum as easily the most original and inventive band out there. ‘Wiser Every Sunrise’ shifts from rhythmic groove metal to sections of spoken word nearly-rap vocals from Phillip Rieder, before the following track opens up with heavy doom metal! Don’t say you weren’t warned; Metal puritans may as well turn and run, but those out there who are out for a musical experience that simply couldn’t be replicated by any other band out there, dig your teeth into this and try to keep your head from exploding.

Rating: 9/10

Links: https://www.facebook.com/pages/%C3%89ohum/821823887910583?fref=ts
           http://myceliumnetworks.com/

Album Review; Ethereal - Opus Aethereum

Released Via Candlelight Records
Genre: Black Metal

Track Listing:

1. Nomicon
2. Overwrite The Archetype
3. Unholy Ungodly
4. Psalm Of The Deciever
5. Devouring The Forsaken
6. Contorted Utopia
7. Aethereum
8. Waking Death


Founded in Liverpool over a decade ago, Ethereal have slowly but surely refined their black metal sound through two prior EP’s and a rigorous touring schedule, including support slots for bands like Fleshgod Apocalypse and Gorgoroth. ‘Opus Aethereum’ is the band’s first full-length, and it’s an intriguing beast that shows Ethereal’s worth more with each listen. The sound itself is equal parts traditional and modern, due to the steady supply of accessible hooks, musical dynamics and the symphonic bombast. There are shades of death metal to be found within the in-your-face instrumental attack, but at its heart this is grandiose black metal with no pretence. From song to song this record maintains a relentless drive that is attributable to the concise execution of each track as much as songs themselves being very well written. The production of the album matches this band completely, as each and every element of sound is remorselessly aimed straight at the listener’s temple. Ethereal have managed to avoid the pratfall that suckers in many other new black metal bands; they don’t come across like a shameless throwback to the Scandinavian scene of yore. Instead, Ethereal already sound very much like their own entity. You can practically feel the years of effort and pure determination bursting from the speakers like a caged beast, and that kind of urgency and fury is exactly what a band like this should possess, and what could see Ethereal climbing higher in the scene.

Rating: 9/10

Links: https://www.facebook.com/EtherealDarknessUK?fref=ts
           http://www.candlelightrecords.co.uk/
           https://www.reverbnation.com/etherealblackmetal

Album Review; Divahar - Divarise

Released Via Sleazy Rider Records
Genre: Black Metal

Track Listing:

1. Shadows
2. Blindness
3. Call Of The Fire
4. Alien
5. Ravenstone
6. Into The Heights
7. Areakan
8. Insane Silence

Here we have a relatively solid and concise debut album from this Armenian all-female band. Through the eight tracks present here, there are enough mid paced riffs (mid paced for black metal), pompous symphonic arrangements and scattered grinding salvos to please fans of the genre. There is a paradox to be found in the album as there is ambition on show, but too often the songs themselves feel safe, rather than displaying the sinister venom that is present in the best black metal releases.

It is clear from ‘Shadows’ and the ominously grand first single ‘Alien’ that there is enough musical ability in the four-piece to pass the test, especially from the band’s vocalist Dev, but it’s puzzling to hear that even though keyboards and orchestration play a prominent role in shaping the sound of the band there isn’t much to be found in the way of dynamics from song to song. The decidedly off-kilter ‘Call Of The Fire’ is the most obvious exception to that statement, and the stand-out track on the album.

A treat for the black metal faithful is to be found on ‘Blindness’ in the form of a guest appearance from Mayhem vocalist Atilla Csihar, whose demented tones lift the song a step higher than it otherwise would have been. There’s not much else on here that could be described as special, although there is a hint of potential to be heard. If a future release is given a huge cinematic approach then Divahar could be onto something more worthwhile.

Rating: 5/10

Links: https://www.facebook.com/divaharband?fref=ts
           http://www.sleaszyrider.com/index2.html