In a year where there have been a lot of high-quality album releases, I've dished out very few, if any, 5 star classics...until now. A Sinner's Past, the second album from Los Angeles traditional metal/doom act Early Moods, follows up their stellar debut from 2022, which I also rated very highly, but I didn't anticipate that the band would up the ante this much in just two short years. Clearly influenced by classic doom acts like Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Trouble, and Candlemass, but there is also a strong flavor of the NWOBHM flowing through their music, most notably elements of the first two Iron Maiden albums, Satan, Diamond Head, and Angelwitch. You can hear that NWOBHM gallop right off the bat on "Last Hour", a terrific heavy metal anthem with killer unison guitar patterns and a memorable chorus. "Blood Offerings" and the title track both offer a never-ending supply of crushing doom riffs and blistering solos from Oscar Hernandez & Eddie Andrade, though they somehow manage to kick it up into hyper-overdrive on the massive "Walpurgis", a tremendous doom classic in the making, with vocalist Alberto Alcaraz sounding like a cross between a young Ozzy Osbourne and original Diamond Head wailer Sean Harris. The lead guitar work on this one is absolutely scorching!
"The Apparition" slows things down to a smoldering death march, Alberto channeling the mighty Messiah Marcolin (ex-Candlemass), while the mid-tempo basher "Hells Odyssey" tops 8 minutes and contains all sorts of twists & turns, with Elix Felciano's bass high in the mix for that extra special bottom-end alongside the rumbling drums courtesy of Chris Flores. Toss in some superb twin guitar harmonies, and you have another must-hear track on A Sinner's Past. They even toss in a killer instrumental in "Soul Sorcery" (out come the wah-wah guitar solos!), and end the album on a high note with the bruising "Blood Offerings", another masher containing enormous riffs and waiting vocals. Honestly, there's not a weak song to be found here, each one a festival of bone-crushing riffs that instantly stick in your head and refuse to let go. The production is massive as well, and even though I've been spinning this one a good chunk of the year, it still sounds as fresh today as the first time I heard it. An easy contender for album of the year folks!
Track Listing
1.
Last Hour 05:41
2.
Blood Offerings 05:41
3.
A Sinners Past 05:50
4.
Walpurgis 05:18
5.
The Apparition 05:54
6.
Unhinged Spirit 06:23
7.
Hells Odyssey 08:36
8.
Soul Sorcery 06:13
9.
Blood Offerings 05:41
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