Fans of old school doom acts like Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus, Electric Wizard, or early Cathedral would be well advised to check out the latest from Barcelona's Warchetype, titled Ancestral Cult of Divinity. These guys don't mess around, as they pummel the listener with crushing, monolithic slabs of molten doom guitar riffs, pounding drum beats, and a mix of death metal growls and Ozzy styled psychedelic wailing.
Opening cut "Amon Wolf" sets the stage perfectly, with Sabbath styled evil riffs playing out over plodding rhythms as the death & doom vocals provide a chilling accompaniment. After a short acoustic intro comes the psych/doom of "Akelarre", a decent track but one that might turn off some listeners due to the band singing in their native language. There's a certain funeral element to the 12 minute dirge "Bastards", and "Dealing With the Devil" is behemoth Sabbath/Saint Vitus styled doomy sludge all the way, complete with some terrific riffs. There's even a neat atmospheric middle section on this one that's as creepy as hell. Closer "Doom Brotherhood" is the most uptempo track on the CD, and will remind you a bit of bands such as Down or Crowbar.
Ancestral Cult of Divinity is a very solid doom metal release. Though you can't say that what you'll hear on this CD is at all original, the band manages to channel an era that holds a special place in the hearts of many heavy metal fans, and that in itself is reason enough to check into this one.
Track Listing
1) Amon Wolf
2) Akelarre
3) Bastards
4) Dealing With the Devil
5) Doom Brotherhood
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