What I like about many of the UK Metal bands I’ve heard from the last 10 years or so, is that they generally either take a style but try to make it sound different in some small way, re-imagine what has gone before, or take on board what others have done and put their own, sometimes very British slant on it. Pantheon have managed to do all three quite convincingly. Still a relatively new band, this 4 track EP marks the most recent step in their formative, and very promising musical endeavours.
Pantheon’s professionally executed Technical Power/Speed/Thrash Metal is immediately evident from the first few bars of opener ‘Voice Of Hate’, exploding forth with an absolute belter of a grooving riff – there’s no doubt we have a band here letting the record companies know exactly who they are and what they are about. The track reminds me of a cross between Marshall Law and Slammer, with a little Intense in the lead-work (all UK bands you note!). Some continued great guitar, tight bass and stellar drumming hold it all together to allow that catchy, interesting lead to flourish. Vocally, they have an uncomplicated just-enough-singing approach that works well, blends nicely with the music and, having seen the band live with their previous singer, are a very welcome addition.
The 2nd track ‘Blade Runner’ continues the mood highlighted above (another cool riff to open with!) but with a decent scattering of classic Priest to it, as well as incorporating hints of Death Angel, Onslaught and Control Denied. Next track ‘Black Gold’ has a more standard Speed Metal feel to it, kind of like Hallows Eve, Intrinsic and even Re-Animator. And just to further enforce the credentials of the band’s varied-yet-focused Metal style, 4th track ‘Silent Apocalypse’ has a slightly more Germanic lilt to it, reminding me initially of Vendetta and Paradox with an early Running Wild bridge (it’s that lead guitar melody line!), then the chorus is a mix of all three…yet it also seems to have a NWOBHM-ness too!
The whole thing is expertly engineered, mixed and produced, has great packaging and came in one of the best press-packs I’ve seen in years (the Pantheon “Real Metal for Real Beer” beermat has already been utilised…). It’s surely only a matter of time before Pantheon snag themselves a full album record deal and if this is what they can do with a self released EP, then that day can’t come soon enough. British Metal is alive and well in the hands of Pantheon.
(7.5/10 Andy Barker)
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