ASPHYXIUM ZINE

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

CD Review: GOTHIC Demons (Loud Rage Music) by Simon Brown

GOTHIC
Loud Rage Music
Released on the Romanian label Loud Rage Music, Gothic deliver metal in the style of modern Dimmu Borgir, Arch Enemy, Amon Amarth and the like. Produced to the nth degree, this is not a bad release by any means. There is enough variation to tick all the boxes one would expect from a modern extreme metal release. Everything is clear production wise and there are some nice melodies throughout. Clean vocals are interspersed with growls which are also well defined. A new listener to the genre would definitely understand what was being sung. What is lacking however is atmosphere. There is nothing wrong in the composition aspect, the performance seems sanitized and metal by the numbers which is disappointing. The listener is left wanting haunting melodies but it does seem like a rehash of “Death Cult Armageddon.” The drumming is precise almost to a fault and the bass provides the backdrop for the guitars to do their work without adding too much to the mix. The title track is the best song by far on the album but highly derivative. Some diminished arpeggios in the solos do add a nice touch and are the highlight of the release. Released 14 January 2017. -Simon Brown

Track list:
1. Shadow Man
2. Disillusion
3. Catacombs
4. Time
5. Destroying the Masses
6. From Within
7. A New End

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