Coven 13 are a Detroit heavy metal band who go all the way back to 1986, but broke up in the early '90s before reuniting in 2011 with all the original band members. Destiny of the Gods is their first release since the reunion, and comes out on Shadow Kingdom Records, the home of many fine underground acts. Now, the band calls themselves 'Nordic Doom Metal', and for the life of me I can't understand exactly why they've given themselves that tag. Of the 10 songs presented here, there's practically nothing I'd consider doom at all. Instead, you can expect classic sounding heavy metal along the lines of Judas Priest, Manilla Road, or Cirith Ungol. It's a well produced album, featuring plenty of memorable guitar riffs, tasty lead solos, and anthemic choruses that stick in your head. The problem for some is most definitely going to be the lead vocals of David Landrum. He has this overly dramatic voice that can get really annoying at times, and on many occasions here he has problems reaching certain notes and sounds off key. He's definitely an acquired taste (much like Mark Shelton of Manilla Road) but he does have some decent moments, like on the heavy "Elfstone" or the frantic "She Rides at Dawn" where he attempts some high pitched wailing ala Rob Halford. However, he's clearly a distraction on the galloping "Frost Giants", and delivers some head scratching passages on "Thor's Twins" that just make you want to skip to the next song. It's a shame because musically there's a lot of good stuff going on here, but Landrum's vocals in many spots can be a real turnoff.
Decent stuff though for lovers of classic, fantasy themed heavy metal, and if you can get past the odd vocals this one is worth checking out.
Track Listing
1. Thor's Twins 05:28
2. Winds of Revelation 04:41
3. Elfstone 06:00
4. Walpurgisnacht 06:25
5. Isle of Man 02:27
6. Frost Giants 03:44
7. Witches Kiss 03:42
8. She Rides at Dawn 04:31
9. Solitary Days 07:16
10. Spellbound 03:13
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