Post by thesoundmonitor on Jun 21, 2004 8:30:18 GMT -5
UNHOLY GHOST
Torrential Reign
(Century Media)
Fans of Floridian death metal missing the lack of quality releases lately should be heading to the record store right now and purchasing Torrential Reign by newcomers to the genre, Unholy Ghost. Some of you may already know about this band since they formed in 2003 from the remains of Pessimist and Diabolic. The band quickly got to
work, releasing a demo, which quickly got the band snapped up by Olympic Recordings. Soon after, their full length was recorded at Diet of Worms studio under the production of Juan "Punchy" Gonzalez who, not so surprisingly, has produced Morbid Angel in the past.
Both vocalist/bassist Paul Ouelette and guitarist Jerry Mortellaro were in Diabolic whilst other guitarist Kelly McLauchlin played lead and rhythm for Pessimist so the members are no new comers to the genre. What surprises me mostly about this release is the tightness the band has achieved in such a short amount of time. All of the members seem comfortable enough with each song and sound like they have all contributed in their own way. Most notably in this regard is drummer Aantar Lee Coates who seems to be able to
put a drum beat anywhere and make it sound like it was meant to be there. Check tracks ‘Under Existence’ and the title track for great examples of his drumming style.
Paul Ouelette has a very similar style to Trey Azagthoth (Morbid Angel), especially their earlier records, only Paul’s vocals aren't quite as 'full' as Treys but they do give the album a very MA sound.
The promo material for this album states that fans of Krisiun and Vital Remains will enjoy this and whilst that's true, Unholy Ghost are a LOT more interesting than those bands in that each song is a separate entity as opposed to a continuous blasting sound. Each track isn't just a blast fest as they contain slower, more melodic elements. There is of course a lot of blasting but the band mixes it up a bit creating a song structure similar to the sounds of Death on their more recent releases. Not that Unholy Ghost sound like Death at all, but you get the idea. This, for me was the main drawcard as I prefer my death metal to contain a 'rhythm section'.
Anyone who tends to put a death metal album in the stereo and realise it's over 45 minutes later before you've even listened to it will enjoy this album. If Morbid Angel’s awesome debut, Altars of Madness didn't get me interested in death metal 13 years ago then this album might have done it today.
Torrential Reign
(Century Media)
Fans of Floridian death metal missing the lack of quality releases lately should be heading to the record store right now and purchasing Torrential Reign by newcomers to the genre, Unholy Ghost. Some of you may already know about this band since they formed in 2003 from the remains of Pessimist and Diabolic. The band quickly got to
work, releasing a demo, which quickly got the band snapped up by Olympic Recordings. Soon after, their full length was recorded at Diet of Worms studio under the production of Juan "Punchy" Gonzalez who, not so surprisingly, has produced Morbid Angel in the past.
Both vocalist/bassist Paul Ouelette and guitarist Jerry Mortellaro were in Diabolic whilst other guitarist Kelly McLauchlin played lead and rhythm for Pessimist so the members are no new comers to the genre. What surprises me mostly about this release is the tightness the band has achieved in such a short amount of time. All of the members seem comfortable enough with each song and sound like they have all contributed in their own way. Most notably in this regard is drummer Aantar Lee Coates who seems to be able to
put a drum beat anywhere and make it sound like it was meant to be there. Check tracks ‘Under Existence’ and the title track for great examples of his drumming style.
Paul Ouelette has a very similar style to Trey Azagthoth (Morbid Angel), especially their earlier records, only Paul’s vocals aren't quite as 'full' as Treys but they do give the album a very MA sound.
The promo material for this album states that fans of Krisiun and Vital Remains will enjoy this and whilst that's true, Unholy Ghost are a LOT more interesting than those bands in that each song is a separate entity as opposed to a continuous blasting sound. Each track isn't just a blast fest as they contain slower, more melodic elements. There is of course a lot of blasting but the band mixes it up a bit creating a song structure similar to the sounds of Death on their more recent releases. Not that Unholy Ghost sound like Death at all, but you get the idea. This, for me was the main drawcard as I prefer my death metal to contain a 'rhythm section'.
Anyone who tends to put a death metal album in the stereo and realise it's over 45 minutes later before you've even listened to it will enjoy this album. If Morbid Angel’s awesome debut, Altars of Madness didn't get me interested in death metal 13 years ago then this album might have done it today.