Heaving Earth: Denouncing the Holy Throne

When I was a kid, a relative of mine challenged my purchase of Judas Priest's British Steel on the grounds that the song titles seemed dangerous. He read the titles aloud in a questioning manner—"Breaking the Law?" "Living After Midnight?" "What are these songs trying to promote?" It's hard to believe that those song titles would concern anyone anymore. Just imagine someone unfamiliar with the conventions of extreme metal blanching in shock or shaking their head over some of the titles on this, or any other, album. Just what is Heaving Earth trying to say? What do these titles mean? I won't develop this topic any further, save only to say that most of us understand that death metal has certain conventions and that the titles, music, and lyrics work together to give meaning to the overall experience.

With this album, Heaving Earth's second full-length release, fans get fifty minutes of powerful, impressive, and technically proficient music. Things are just so well-written, well-played, and well-arranged, that they just convince from start to finish. Nothing ever feels tired or clichéd or silly. I especially loved the consistent and relentless feeling of power and strength coming out of my speakers. I was especially impressed with the consistently strong technical prowess of the musicians, especially the guitars and drums. It's often hard to make the constant rattling of blast beats sound just right, but they never slow down or falter. Better still, the drummer avoids creating a wall of blast beats that flood the ear and drown out everything else. It's nice to hear extreme drumming that is also interesting. Similar things could also be said about the guitars. Pick almost any song at random on this album and you'll hear technical runs not only played beautifully but put to the right purpose. These guys aren't merely showing off; instead, they are pouring everything into the songs so that they achieve maximum effect. Listen especially to "Doomed Before Inception," especially the part just after the half-way mark. You'll know the part, trust me. This is an impressive album, one of the must-listens of 2015.

Track Listing:
1. The Final Crowning
2. Nailed to Perpetual Anguish
3. Doomed Before Inception
4. And the Mighty Shall Fall
5. Worms of Rusted Congregation
6. . . .Into the Sea of Fire
7. Forging Arcane Heresy
8. I Am Nothing
9. Into the Depths of Abomination
10. . .Where the Purified Essence Descends Ablaze
11. Jesus Died
12. Endless Procession of Holy Martyrs / Final Termination

Added: May 27th 2016
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 2264
Language: english

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