Gravehill: Death Curse

I'll keep this simple: Gravehill's new album is exactly what it claims to be—exciting, aggressive, and awesome.

Let's begin with a brief mention of the album art by the legendary Christophe Moyen, a French artist best known for his diabolic work with bands like Incantation, Blasphemy, and, well, tons of others. For this album, Moyen offers a chilling image of a grim reaper wending his way through a destroyed city, a scythe in one hand, a flag in the other. It's a striking image, one that captures the mood of this album beautifully. Check it out.

As for the music, it's solid from start to finish. The best thing about this album is its straightforward, even stripped-down, style. Yes, it's extreme metal to the core, but the guitars are soaked in the bravado of an earlier time. Put another way, CC DeKill and Hell Messiah shred their way through this one, offering up fresh and exciting riffs and solos without resorting to clichés. Strange as it seems, I was occasionally reminded of Metallica's Kill 'Em All as I listened to this album. No, the comparison isn't fair at all—neither band sounds anything like the other. Still, the energy on this album reminds me so much of a young, hungry, band putting everything into the music in the hope that it will somehow pay off. To capture that spirit, especially after over ten years in the business, is a difficult feat. And yet they pull it off beautifully. The album also features guest appearances by Chris Reifert, Eric Cutler, and Kam Lee.

Fans of death metal performed with abandon should love this one. I know I did.

Track Listing:
1. Gates of Hell
2. Death Curse
3. At Hell's Command
4. Open Their Throats
5. Fear the Reaper
6. Unending Lust for Evil
7. Black Blood Rising
8. Crucified
9. The Ascending Fire

Added: March 20th 2014
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 2020
Language: english

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