Citing influences such as Black Sabbath, Trouble, Pentagram, Leafhound, Candlemass, Witchfinder General, Angel Witch, Judas Priest, and Iron Maiden, one has to assume that Pennsylvania's Pale Divine have all the building blocks to help them create some kick ass proto-metal/doom, and that is indeed the case here with their fifth studio album, simply titled Pale Divine and released on Shadow Kingdom Records. Containing eight brand new songs, Pale Divine shows the band in top form, firing off plenty of memorable riffs, blazing twin guitar solos, and walking that fine line between early doom and classic metal, a touch of bluesy swagger in spots as well to help things along.
Cuts like "Spinning Wheel" and "Bleeding Soul" are dark, doom laden rippers, the spirit of Pentagram seeping through the pores, while the speedier "Chemical Decline" owes a bit to the early days of the NWOBHM, shades of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest coming through, especially in the riffs & solos. "So Low" gets low, real low, the riffs slow and ponderous, the drums plodding, and the lead guitar bluesy and exploratory, the vocals a mix of Bobby Liebling and Ozzy. Towards the end the band shifts into a cool Judas Priest styled romp circa Sad Wings of Destiney...great stuff! "Curse the Shadows" is another upbeat track, this one saddled with a never ending wealth of groove to go along with some terrific riffs, while "Shades of Blue" drops back into gargantuan doom mode, the bass lines enormous, the riffs lethal, the lead guitar scorching, eight minutes of blues & doom bliss. The massive "Silver Tongues" is another heavy hitter, nimble drum work simmering under a wall of guitar thunder, and the album closes out with the moody "Ship of Fools", which is just dripping with psychedelic, blues, and doom goodness.
Pale Divine quite possibly have put together the doom release of 2018 here with this new self-titled beast, an album that sounds like it could have come from 1973 with all its proto-metal flourishes and vintage production vibes. Highest Recommendations!!!
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
Track Listing
01 Spinning Wheel 5:20
02 Bleeding Soul 4:27
03 Chemical Decline 5:09
04 So Low 7:53
05 Curse The Shadows 4:20
06 Shades Of Blue 8:15
07 Silver Tongues 3:51
08 Ship Of Fools 6:54
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