Cherubin:Under The Shadow Of Heaven

Cherubin are a three piece Metalcore band out of Utah and prior to the release of Under the Shadow of Heaven they just had an EP to their name. For a three piece they make a hell of a lot of noise with strong riffs, monstrous breakdowns and a barrage of brutal percussion all key components of their sound. Opening track is "The Great Dawns Eye", a sinister voice intones a bleak lyric against a backdrop of industrial feedback which sets the scene for much of what is to follow as the atmosphere throughout is intensely claustrophobic which makes for a dark and foreboding listening experience.

There are obvious pitfalls for exponents of this genre but Cherubin manage to avoid these by taking on a more measured, technical approach, notably evident on "Spilt Across The Sky" which builds to an immense climax with the vocals a cacophony of blood curdling screams, shrieks and howls. "Isle of Snakes and Serpants" showcases the bands technical proficiency and highlights a more melodic side with its driving riff and elsewhere the seven minute "Risen from the Fates" takes its time to get going but emerges into a good example of the bands more unorthodox style. It's not entirely without its flaws, a couple of ideas sound under developed and would have benefitted from longer time in the studio but overall this is a solid debut album boasting a far more mature sound than you might expect. It will be interesting to see which direction Cherubin take in the future and this is well worth checking out.

Available now via Enlightened Realm Recordings.

Track Listing
1. The Great Dawns Eye
2. Bloodlust
3. Isle of Snakes and Serpants
4. Spilt Across the Sky
5. Under the Shadow of Heaven
6. Risen from the Fates
7. Burn Through
8. Stormgazer
9. Our Ever Setting Dusk

Added: March 22nd 2009
Reviewer: Dean Pedley
Score:
Related Link: Band MySpace
Hits: 2050
Language: english

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