Review Summary: Become friends with The Beast.
At the dusk of the 00’s, there was an unusual turmoil occurring within the ranks of the contemporary heavy rock scene that burns sulphur on the altars of 70’s occult heavy rock. The evangelia of the genre, written by mythical bands such as Black Sabbath, Rocky Erikson and Pentagram, had been re-discovered and re-interpreted by a new generation of heavy rock bands throughout the world. As a result, a highly active underground scene emerged, a scene that continues to issue records copiously and to tour the world as often as possible, a scene that’s starting to come out of the underground as the lines of this review are being written. The 2010 release from Ghost,
Opus Eponymous, was warmly welcomed by both fans and metal press. Coming back from the dead, Pentagram recently made a deal with the mighty Metal Blade label for their new album
Last Rites. Hailing from Sweden, Witchcraft and Graveyard have signed a deal with the mighty Nuclear Blast label, with their new albums coming in 2011, being characterized as most anticipated for the genre. The aforementioned band names are only the summit of the iceberg.
Before the peak of the occult heavy rock revival, there were sparse bands like The Devil’s Blood, the occult heavy rock outfit from the Netherlands, which bared a good reputation mostly in the underground.
Come, Reap is their debut EP, a work that has all the necessary ingredients to be hailed not only by the 70’s occult rock die-hard fans, but by every quality rock/metal fan all over the globe. Putting it briefly,
Come, Reap is an orgasmic 70’s occult rock gem from start to finish. Although it is nominally an EP, its merits are enough to almost classify it as an instant classic. The band’s most powerful spell comes in the form of their female singer, who responds to the name “Mouth of Satan”. Her vocals are godly on the opposite way, as she narrates stories of devotion and appreciation to the Angel of Light, either sounding terrifically aggressive or utterly mesmerizing. The guitar riffs and the ways of the rhythm section come fully refurbished from the psychedelic heavy rock 70’s and while the wheel is not re-invented by any means, they are immensely effective in their aims. Throughout the 5 songs of the EP, the whole variety of rhythms and melodies that came about in the 70’s, is featured most convincingly, yet it feels fresh as the listening sessions keep piling up. The effectiveness, as well as the freshness of the music, is also supported by the lively fitting sound production, which aptly captures the vintage feeling of the 70’s.
As an epilogue,
Come, Reap is a spectacular piece of 70’s occult heavy rock music, waiting to be discovered by those that still lie away from its occult wizardry. Seldom is a retro rock record in position of fruitfully reinvigorating the interest of contemporary rock/metal audience about the 70’s heavy rock whereabouts.
