Oracles
I Hate Records
It was a pleasure to receive this one in the mail. I have to admit I was a little worried the band might be a “Nile” clone (I guess Nile have cornered the market on Egyptian mythology and anything with that imagery makes me immediately think this) but they are probably the polar opposite. Again this release brings to mind the early doom efforts of PENTAGRAM and ST. VITUS, but with a more arcane feel (hence the Egyptian theme I guess).
Musically and visually the two piece band, consisting of Kyle (vocals, bass, sitar and synths) and Christoper (drums) seem to fit in with a Middle Eastern theme running through the music and their cover imagery, it sits alongside with I Hate Records labelmates Burning Shadows, great analogue sounding production clear separation of the instruments and some very heavy but still quite groovy riffs… Some nice fuzz on the guitars and some genuinely great riffage. I’m not sure if the vocals are a bit out of key at times but they fit the music in the same way that Quorthon’s vocals fitted the music in Hammerheart era Bathory, where it left you with the feeling something’s not quite right in a few bits, but the general awesome-ness of the music makes up for this. The songs have a very coherent feel in much the same way as the Viking era of Bathory.
Overall an enjoyable listen and I for one, look forward to what these guys put out in the future! -Reggae