I just realised when I started listening to this that the last time I saw these guys was 2 years ago at the London Palladium, and it was one of the last gigs I went to, as there were only a couple I attended before March the following year when … Yeah, I guess that’s the reason for the album title really.
The line-up is largely the same, with only a single change since the last album, that being Anabelle Iratni replacing the departed Lindsay Schoolcraft on keyboards and backing vocals.
The album opens with the orchestral “The Fate Of The World On Our Shoulders” which flows into the much, much heavier “Existential Terror” where the choir continues to soften the blows that Dani Filth’s unique vocals deliver unabated. Guitarists Richard Shaw and Marek ‘Ashok’ Smerda have been working together since 2014 and their riff appear to intuitively blend and diverge to match Martin ‘Marthus’ Skaroupka’s frantic drum pace while Daniel Firth fills out all the bottom end that Anabelle’s atmospheric keyboards require.
They released a video for “Necromantic Fantasies” a month ago and shows the band in their Victorian horror splendour, and the song itself isn’t bad at all either. Dani and Anabelle’s vocals work really well together in much the same way the two guitar harmonies do.
“Crawling King Chaos” shows they aren’t slowing down after 30 years of existence and the rather singable chorus just adds to the catchiness of the song.
The instrumental interlude “Here Comes A Candle – (Infernal Lullaby)” is an eerie combination of piano and harpsichord which paved the way for the far more intense “Black Smoke Curling From The Lips Of War” where an epic lead hits high notes that Anabelle’s soprano aims for effortlessly, as does Dani to be fair.
Anabelle’s piano on “Discourse Between A Man And His Soul” sets the mood perfectly as the guitars in the song play a slow but heavyish riff to accompany her, while Dani whispers his vocals, whether they are deep, raspy, or screeched.
Harps, or is it a lyre, and strings slow things down even further for “The Dying Of The Embers” before it builds to bring us “Ashen Mortality” where Marthus’s feel are working overtime rumbling along as the guitars gallop to keep up, even the leads are played with manic fury to maintain the intensity of the song.
“How Many Tears To Nurture A Rose” is strange in the way it feels a little like a thrash track with Dani’s unmistakable vocals, but then when the guitar melodies come in over the chugging heavier riff and Daniel’s bassline, it is very Maidenesque, before heading back to a heavier and faster attack.
I just fucking love Doug ‘Pinhead’ Bradley’s intro to “Suffer Our Dominion”. It sets the tone for the song and even though it has moments of complete mellowness, like mother earth it can be brutal and vicious when it needs to get its point across, and the lead solo could leave your ears bleeding if you played it loud enough.
The creepy horror movie tinkling gets washed away when the blistering guitars and furious drums take off on “Us, Dark, Invincible” before Dani’s drawn-out howls and growls fade out and strings go over pleasantly harmonic choral vocals, with everything fading to let the piano end off the song and album.
However, there are also two bonus tracks on the album. “Sisters Of The Mist” wraps up the “Her Ghost in the Fog” trilogy and once again Doug Bradley can be heard before Dani comes in with Annabelle signing a soaring harmony in accompaniment. and while there are definite nods to the keep the songs connected, it still sounds fresh takes us on a new journey.
Then “Unleash The Hellion” is filled with symphonic melodies and Dani is on high-speed vocal delivery trying to keep up with the pace of the drums, which the guitars are doing all they to too.
I enjoyed this thoroughly and am certain all fans shall too.
(8/10 Marco Gaminara)
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