If you've followed the death metal scene for the last decade or so, you're probably familiar with the names Jeff Gruslin (vocals) and Paul Flynn (guitars), two of the founding members of Vital Remains. Since leaving that band, the two formed Godless Rising, and Battle Lords is their second release, and first for Moribund Cult. With a fleshed out line-up, Godless Rising have created a brutally heavy and hate filled platter here, littered with menacing growls, putrid screams, crushing riffs, lots of wailing guitar solos, and pounding drum blasts. It's basically 39 minutes of pure extreme metal mayhem, sure to bring a bloody smirk to any fan of Vital Remains, Cannibal Corpse, Aeon, or Deicide. The vocals of Gruslin are very well done here, as he sways between the deep, cookie monster growls, almost black metal-ish screams, and tortured, inhuman bellows (check out the wild title track), as if he's trying to give Glenn Benton a run for his money. Michael McPherson shows he has the chops on the blast beat mania of "Sadistical Ritual Carnage", one of the fastest and most maniac crushers on the CD. While the music on Battle Lords isn't overly technical, there are moments where the riffs are fairly complex and weaving, as on "Beyond The Graves We Desecrate" and "The Lair Of Cerberus", and the guitarists really work up some tasty harmony passages on the killer closer "Revelation Of The Dead King", a real epic sounding death metal track if there ever was one.
It's brutal, it's evil, and it's damn good. Battle Lords is proof that Godless Rising is ready to take on the heavy hitters of the death metal genre. I see good things ahead for this band. Let's hope Moribund can get these dudes from Rhode Island out on a tour with some of extreme metal's best so folks can catch a glimpse of the promise that this band shows.
Track Listing
1 - Heathen's Rage
2 - Conflict From Within
3 - Battle Lords
4 - Sadistical Ritual Carnage
5 - The Lair Of Cerberus
6 - Ancient Grave Lands
7 - Beyond The Graves We Desecrate
8 - Revelation Of The Dead King
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