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Grimlord: Dolce Vita Sath-anas

Grimlord is a Polish metal band, whom I have to say really are quite enjoyable, the CD cover artwork of Dolce Vita Sath-anas brought thoughts of darker metal than what I was to hear on this CD. But then again Grimlord's only original member Bartosz Zrebiec was previously in a black metal band, by the name of Vallachia.
The vocals are limited to the first three tracks, but thereafter the emphasis is on well played heavy instrumentals, like "Ground Zero" and "Shade of wrath angels", and these compositions from Grimlord really lure you in. From the reviews I have read of their last effort Blood Runneth Over, which I haven't heard, these reviews do give the impression that Grimlord have stepped up a level with Dolce Vita Sath-anas.
Grimlord's music has its quota of technical metal wizardry; on Dolce Vita Sath-anas Grimlord's three creative musicians pool their talents, producing some appealing material. Kicking off with heavy title track "Dolce Vita Sath-anas", this song goes through a few changes including some rapid fire drumming that reapears later, before the guitar sound that reminds me of Children Of Bodom at first comes into play. The instrumentals start with "Shades Of Wrath" which has a great feel, these are what I really enjoyed, the vocals are ok, but their musicianship is what got me hooked. Even though I can't pronounce Dolce Vita Sath-anas, I am so pleased I have had the opportunity to hear this band, and if Grimlord weren't to your liking previously, then maybe it's time to revisit this band.

Track Listing
1. Dolce Vita Sath-anas
2. When The Heads Are Going Down
3. Oh! My King
4. Shade Of Wrath Angels
5. Ground Zero
6. Dissolution Of Eternity
7. Ancient Land Of Ys
8. Avericious Scavenger/Panth Of Lash
9. Lamentation Sword

Added: November 9th 2009
Reviewer: Scott Jessup
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 3388
Language: english

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Grimlord: Dolce Vita Sath-anas
Posted by Scott Ward, SoT Staff Writer on 2009-11-09 12:19:34
My Score:

I love it when a band is all about the music. That may seem like a duh type statement but when a group tries to hard to be cool and make their sound fit a particular mold or try to project a certain image, the music sometimes gets a secondary nod. Not so with this very cool band out of Poland. Grimlord is a three piece outfit that really does let the music do the talking!

They are heavy as hell and have their roots in the black metal genre but on this disc they take it up a notch or two well maybe even three to create something that is really hard to stop listening to. The musical ability of these guys will blow you away along with their keen sense of melody.

The first three songs are the only ones to have vocals but do not fret, these guys are a musical powerhouse that will make you think that singing would be an intrusion on what they are creating. In fact, I was drawn more to the music without it. This is not to say that the songs with vocals are bad or anything. In fact, "Oh, My King" is a terrific tune that makes it hard to resist the temptation of hitting the repeat button. Grimlord does shine brightest though when they let the music do the talking!

Listening to the song "Ground Zero" with the interwoven cuts of George Bush amidst the swirling music gives you the feel that you are just where they try to put you with the title of this song. It is more of a power metal instrumental but it is extremely effective and one of the highlights of the disc.

They even go into a more prog type of sound on the next song "Dissolution Of Eternity". An almost spacey guitar melody is played against a heavy as hell rhythm and the effect is hard to resist. From there they take you on a very mystical journey with a great piece called "Ancient Land Of Ys" where an acoustic start builds and builds till you have a very heavy metal blast before it ends.

This has been a most enjoyable album. Once the crunch started on the first song, the title track "Doce Vita Sath-anas" it was evident that these guys were here to play! I get a lot of music across my desk and it is hard to find time to revisit some of my favorite tracks that I hear but since receiving this one, I have found myself going back to it time and again, especially the instrumentals which are the majority of the disc.

This is one of those sleeper albums that will grow on you with ever spin on the CD player. These guys know how to bring it to you and they do it with so much energy and musical ability you will find yourself slipping this one in the player at every opportunity!

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