Speedblow: Behold the Darkness

Speedblow is a heavy metal band hailing from Athens, Greece. The quintet formed in 2009 and released their debut Fields of Doom in 2010. Behold the Darkness is the title of their latest album and is the subject of this review.

The players are John D. (drums), John T. (guitars), Nick F. (vocals), Costas P. (guitars) and Marios M. (bass). The music here sits firmly in the heavy metal genre, mainly touching on a doom metal approach. The highlight for me is the guitar playing. Lots of catchy chord progressions and doomy riffs dominate this release but the band also add some nice acoustic moments as well giving these tunes a moody atmosphere that is very cool. The playing doesn't usually enter into speed metal territory, which I like and the band inject a good amount of "feel" in their playing. My only complaint are the growling vocals. While I usually don't mind the style they just aren't doing it for me in this one. Perhaps it is because there is not a lot of variation vocally. Some clean singing mixed in would have went a long way, enhancing my enjoyment of the album that much more.

The lyrics are suitably dark for an extreme metal release. A prime example being this excerpt from "March Of The Underworld":

"Deadly voices screaming
They can't hide the pain
Forces from Hell unleash their rage
To recruit His flames"

Not exactly light subject matter but the lyrics fit well with the band's intense musicality.

So, musically speaking this is a very good doom metal album. I just wish I enjoyed the vocals more. That said, if growling and extreme vocals is your thing you will find plenty to enjoy here.

Track Listing:
1. Rise From The Ashes
2. Starting To Heal
3. Beneath The Shrine
4. March Of The Underworld
5. Black Fire
6. Martyrs
7. Torches Of Freedom
8. The Cleansing
9. Mountains Of Doom

Added: July 3rd 2014
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Official Site
Hits: 1806
Language: english

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