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Chained and Desperate: Divine Authority Abolishment

Taking their name from NWOBHM band Chateaux's 1983 debut album, Greek melodic black metallers Chained and Desperate released six demos between '91 and '97 and their debut album, Eleven Angles in a Circle, in 2000. Now, eleven years later, they have released their second release, Divine Authority Abolishment. Being Greek and playing black and death metal invites inevitable comparisons with Rotting Christ, and so, drawing on influences as diverse as Bathory, Death, Candlemass, and even Manowar (ye gods!), Chained and Desperate have pushed their sound further into territories that Rotting Christ need not. In fact, the only element of this record that keeps them within the black metal genre is the evilly shrieked vocals. Power Metal makes an appearance here and there, as does Euro metal, particularly in the blending of seamlessly disparate styles. Finely crafted and well played, Divine Authority Abolishment is an interesting work with enough surprises to make it an easy yet compelling listen. The production, also, is very good, maybe a little too polished as the guitars are overshadowed at times by the vocals, a shame as there are some remarkable guitar riffs in there. Eleven years in the making, Chained and Desperate have returned with a record that, even for those who are not taken with black metal, has more to offer than what the blackened mass usually produce.


Track Listing

  1. Nine Deaths in August
  2. Rely on Fears
  3. Bridge for Theism
  4. Chained
  5. Ariadne's Thread
  6. Irrational
  7. Divine Authority Abolishment
  8. Iconographies
  9. Curtains of Cold

Added: July 17th 2011
Reviewer: Jason Guest
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 3049
Language: english

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» SoT Staff Roundtable Reviews:

Chained and Desperate: Divine Authority Abolishment
Posted by Steven Reid, SoT Staff Writer on 2015-10-17 10:59:58
My Score:

As Cypriot Metal label Pitch Black Records expands its roster, so too do they expand their genres. The second release, which comes twelve years after their debut offering, from Chained And Desperate, sees PBR venture into the realms of Black Metal, although in truth there's way more than that to the C&D sound. It also marks the first in an ongoing series of "Blackest Pitch" releases from the label, catering for the more extreme metal fans with limited releases and specialised packaging on these album's initial runs. It is an interesting idea and if all the releases to see the black light of day in this series are as interesting and accomplished as "Divine Authority Abolishment", then hopefully it will prove to be a popular one.

Now as alluded to earlier, the genre tag on the right of this review may state quite bluntly "Black Metal", but in truth that is only a portion of what C&D serve up, with a less chaotic approach leading to a release which should satisfy those who follow less extreme styles, while still holding enough blatant, brash blackness for the extreme metal purist. Built round the mighty crashes of guitar provided by Panos Chained and the growl come scream of C.M.Ain, Chained And Desperate bring a refinement to the black metal genre that is seldom heard, with hints of traditional metal, NWOBHM and power metal all creeping in to the more expected sounds. Not only does it mark this Greek outfit as slight innovators in this style, but also as a band with the outlook to cross boundaries and fan bases in a way that few black metal acts could contemplate.

Crammed full of meter changes and alterations of mood, "DAA" is a well crafted album which resists falling into stereotypes and while isn't exactly the most original album you'll hear this year, is also pleasantly hard to liken to other bands. Highlights come in the shape of mid paced aggression of "Iconographies", and the ever changing focus of the title track and "Rely On Fears" which flits between black metal and NWOBHM with great effect. The latter track also sees C.M.Ain trading vocals with the clean voice of Kostas Makris, offering a really clever change of focal point, making the vocal style of both singers all the more impactful. Things do bog down in places and the production, while slick and polished, is maybe just a tad too polite for the music, however overall this is an impressive comeback from Chained And Desperate . If they could follow it up with a quick fire third album, they really could make quite an impact.



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