Dread Sovereign is the old school doom project of vocalist/bassist Nemtheanga (Alan Averill) from Primordial, with help from Dubh SOL (Simon O'Laoghaire, also of Primordial) on drums and Bones (Wizards of Firetop Mountain) on guitar. Nemtheanga has long been one of the most underrated vocalists in metal with his powerhouse pagan/black metal act Primordial, but we've always gotten a sense that his unique vocal style would lend itself well to doom metal. Look no further as that time has come. The trio have come up with some truly powerful and at times frightening material here on All Hell's Martyrs, as they harness their inner Black Sabbath, Candlemass, Saint Vitus, and Cirith Ungol with a sound that is sure to raise the eyebrows of many metal fans.
I can't imagine any doom fan not getting chills up his or her spine after listening to a track like "Pray To The Devil In Man"...this is truly menacing stuff. "Drink the Wine", "The Devil's Venom", "Scourging Venom", and "Cathars to Their Doom" are all just epic, massive examples of crushing doom, the riffs from Bones not only monstrously heavy but also quite textured, with Nemtheanga's booming bass adding the thudding bottom end alongside Dubh SOL's plodding drum work. The vocals are of course top notch, powerful & forceful, with that anguished edge that Nemtheanga is always so good at conveying. Wait until you hear the epic "We Wield The Spear Of Longinus", a wild trip into Saint Vitus inspired melancholic doom, with fuzz-laden, almost psychedelic washes of dirge-like guitar riffs floating underneath Nemtheanga's tortured wailing.
All Hell's Martyrs is great stuff for all you doom lovers out there. Dread Sovereign aren't trying to come up with something new here, but as a great homage to some of the classic doom recordings of the last 40 years, this one just hit a home run out of the park.
Track Listing
- Drink The Wine
- Thirteen Clergy
- Cthulu Opiate Haze
- The Devil's Venom
- Pray To The Devil In Man
- Scourging Iron
- The Great Beast
- We Wield The Spear Of Longinus
- Cathars To Their Doom
- All Hells Martyrs. Transmissions From The Devil St
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