I was just thinking the other day (OK, it was raining,,,) that 2021 has been a bit short on over the top bombastic carefree Heavy/Power Metal. Maybe that’s a blessing for some, but I quite like a bit of fantasy-driven Metal escapism and I can only really think of the ever-reliable Bloodbound that have really thrown their pointy hats and capes into the ring so far this year. Then out of nowhere, Apostolica appear with their debut, fully adorned in costumes, masks AND mysterious pseudonyms!

After much extensive research (5 minutes on Google), Apostolica’s name seems to mean something ecclesiastical in Latin and the theme of the album follows a similar suit (stop me if I’m getting too deep). Bloodbound is a good place to start musical comparison-wise, but delivered here with less dragons and more dodgy priests. There are regular nods in the direction of Orden Ogan. Lost Horizon, Powerwolf, Human Fortress, Sabaton and even Lonewolf or Grave Digger – but Apostolica deliver it all very much in their own way. The vocals are probably what sets the band apart with singer “Ezekial” having a much lower, more gravel-throated delivery than you might expect from this style. There is also a large reliance on multi-vocal hooks, as well as choral sections to back up their theme, which admittedly after a while, like on the opening track ‘Sanctus Spiritus’ can start to grate a little (think Black Sabbath’s ‘Anno Mundi’ – but more so!). But if you wait long enough there is generally another catchy vocal melody sitting astride a muscular metal riff galloping around the corner to greet you.

And as an album careering down it’s chosen path it really does have some great moments, there’s certainly no denying that the musicianship on offer hear is from the top league of the genre right from the word go. There’s a bit of hype surrounding who is actually in the band etc. which initially made me suspicious of the quality that may be on offer, but Apostolica have certainly hit the ground running, with no expense spared on production or for that matter wardrobe. Theatricality is certainly key here, but ironically on the whole I feel the band are almost playing it safe with this album, delivering what is expected of them and with this debut out of the way I imagine they will utilize their multi-album deal to expand their sound and really push their obvious talent further.

(7/10 Andy Barker)

https://www.facebook.com/Apostolicaband

https://scarletrecords.bandcamp.com/album/haeretica-ecclesia