Graven Sin: Veil of the Gods

Finland really keeps 'em coming, eh? Just an embarrassment of riches over there, I tell ya. This time we have the debut album from new act Graven Sin, Veil of the Gods, and it's an intriguing and diverse expedition that brings in influences from epic doom, gritty US power, and traditional metal alike. I suppose the "epic" in epic doom is probably one of the better words you could use to describe this slab of steel if you were short on time.

Graven Sin is a 3 piece act, but they sound positively massive on Veil of the Gods. The guitars are massive and beefy, the drums pound not unlike Manowar's early material, and vocalist N. Leptos is basically a younger Robert Lowe. Leptos croons and wails with powerful theatrical flair, and it fits this brand of epic metal like a glove. The majority of the songs on "Veil of the Gods" are at an appropriately stomping and plodding pace, although nowhere near as slow as most doom metal bands would subject you to for an entire album. These guys wear their orthodox metal influences on their sleeves, and tracks like the opening "The Morrigan" and "Cult of Nergal" certainly have their brisker and speedier moments to get the blood and fists pumping. The band is quite good at keeping things varied enough that you don't have a chance to get bored with any one tempo.

While the Graven Sin is clearly damn talented and the songs are overall pretty damn good here, I will say that this album overall does suffer from a lack of memorability to some degree. The vocal melodies are all fairly similar, even if they are sung very well, and the guitar harmonies and melodies aren't nearly plentiful enough. The keyboards, however, sound great and add a ton of atmosphere to pretty much every song here. From orchestral howling to Hammond-esque organ blasts, it's one of the highlights here. It's definitely more of a "vibe" album than something I'll find myself singing as I walk around the house, but that's not a terrible thing if it has its own niche. I suppose that's where it has the most in common with epic doom pioneers Candlemass or Solitude Aeturnus. That vibe is everything, man.

Veil of the Gods is absolutely a worthy listen for most fans of the genres I've mentioned throughout this review. With muscular riffs, warlike pounding drums, and vocals that sound like a sorcerer conjuring spirits on mountains high in a Conan book, you should be able to find something here to enjoy if any of that dorky stuff I just said appeals to you. For fans of Tony Martin era Sabbath, Atlantean Codex, and of course Candlemass and Solitude Aeturnus.

Tracklist:
1. The Morrigan
2. From the Shadows
3. Bloodbones
4. She Who Rules Niflheim
5. I Am Samael
6. Cult of Nergal
7. The Scarlet Night
8. Beyond Mesopotamia
9. The Jackal God
10. Wand of Orcus
11. As The Erinyes Emerge

Added: November 30th 2023
Reviewer: Brandon Miles
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
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Language: english

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