Canada's Weapon are back with their third release of blackened death metal, titled Embers and Revelations. What's great about these guys is their knack of throwing in some classic metal elements that hint at the glory days of the NWOBHM, including some chugging riffs and tasty lead guitar solos, which spice things up a bit in what would be just another solid extreme metal platter.
Just check out those delicious riffs and swirling rhythms on "Crepuscular Swamp, Unhinged Swine", equal parts thrash, death metal, and black metal, witha touch of Iron Maiden and Diamond Head thrown in for good measure. When they go full out Norwegian on us, as on "The First Witnesses Of Lucifer", classic Immortal and Darkthrone come to mind, but for the most part Weapon's brand of hybrid metal is somewhat unique and always keeps the listener on their toes. Other highlights here include the galloping "Liber Lilith" (featuring some wonderful guitar harmonies), the kick ass instrumental "Grotesque Carven Portal", the pummeling death metal that is the title track, ,and the epic sounds of closer "Shahenshah", which combines elements of Amon Amarth, Grace, Immortal, and Dethklok, all into one brutal package.
The production on Embers and Revelations is pretty clean and tight, which might be too much so for lovers of this style of extreme metal, but I think it works just fine here. Guitars are recorded perfectly, with plenty of crunch on the riffs and the lead work (and there's plenty of it!) just jumps out at you. The vocal growls are also nicely done, not too upfront in the mix, while the drum work just slammin' from start to finish. Overall a really nice job and a killer release from Weapon, a band who is delivering material that's just off the beaten path from the rest of the extreme metal acts out there, which is helping them really stand out in the process.
Track Listing
- The First Witnesses Of Lucifer
- Vanguard Of The Morning Star
- Crepuscular Swamp, Unhinged Swine
- Liber Lilith
- Grotesque Carven Portal
- Embers And Revelations
- Disavowing Each In Aum
- Shahenshah
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