Nekromantheon: Rise, Vulcan Spectre

I really wasn't expecting to like Rise, Vulcan Spectre very much. The first couple of tracks on this album didn't do much for me initially. I love Thrash Metal generally, but I thought these guys sounded too muddy. The speed and aggression are there, but I didn't think that Nekromantheon did very much to distinguish themselves either lyrically or musically from other bands. They reminded me a little of Death, but without the magical touch that made Chuck Schuldiner such a unique talent. As I continued through Rise, Vulcan Spectre, though, I found much more to like than I originally suspected. This isn't the best album I've heard, but it is a solid effort, one that could be of interest to Thrash fans.

The major problems with Rise, Vulcan Spectre, frankly, are the lyrics. I won't offer an extended commentary on them, save only to say that they are usually drawn from Greek mythology mixed with some murky concepts drawn from witchcraft. Throughout the album, listeners are treated with plenty of quasi-mystical sounding lyrics mixed in with the occasional references to figures like Dionysius. I can only guess at the purpose of all this; perhaps Nekromantheon is trying to do to Greek Mythology what Black Metal is doing to Christianity. At times, though, I honestly wondered how seriously to take lines "I am Possessed" from the track "Embrace the Oracle." I mean, sure, an oracle could possess someone, but I never felt that underlying menace that characterizes other metal bands' lyrics. Even worse, I thought that the claim that "The Minotaur is Ravenous" from "Coven of the Minotaur" was rather silly. I couldn't help but laugh a little at the idea of a sacrifice being prepared for hungry Minotaur. Wasn't that beast eventually defeated?

On a more positive note, Nekromantheon is actually quite a good band. For me, their real talent as musicians and songwriters didn't come out as strongly as they should have until "The Usurper Command," a track that had an interesting opening that fed into a strong overall song. Don't get me wrong, the opening track, "Cast into the Void," is pretty cool, especially its heavily riffy conclusion, but these guys honestly don't hit their stride until the mid-point of the album. Check out the killer guitar solos on tracks like "The Usurper Command" and "Rise, Vulcan Spectre." The best track, "Twelve Depths of Hades" has a strong bridge section that shows off some slightly slower heaviness that we really didn't get to hear enough of. The concluding track, "Raised by Dogs," is good, but doesn't reach the same heights (or depths, really) of "Twelve Depth of Hades."

Track Listing:
1. Cast Down to the Void
2. Blood Wisdom
3. Embrace the Oracle
4. Coven of the Minotaur
5. The Usurper Command
6. Rise, Vulcan Spectre
7. Twelve Depths of Hades
8. Raised by Dogs

Added: February 29th 2012
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Myspace Page
Hits: 2353
Language: english

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