From Mexico comes the progressive metal act Divinitus, comprised of vocalist Rafael Cardenas, guitarist Jaime Ponce, keyboard player Victorino Perez, and two new members, Gerardo on bass and Fernando on drums, the latter two being brand new to the band. On their debut EP Arising From the Ashes, a four song powerhouse of technical progressive metal, Perez programmed all the drum and bass parts, plus covered a wide variety of keyboard and synth tones that meshed well with the crushing guitar riffs from Ponce. For the most part, these songs are symphonic prog-metal fare, though parts of "Infernal Blood" have a healthy dose of death metal growls, and will appeal to fans of Dream Theater, Vanden Plas, or Symphony X. Perez is a rather gifted player, his blinding lead lines and orchestral tapestries on the title track and "Summoning Accursed Gods in the Grave of Agony" almost sounding like the great Vitalij Kuprij (Artension, Ring of Fire), and Ponce fires off plenty of mammoth riffage and stabbing solos throughout these pieces. The vocals of Cardenas are varied and strong, the singer able to hit the high notes, the more melodic passages, and even the occasional growl, his lines always sounding powerful and drenched with emotion.
Though it's very much a teaser of what is yet to come from this band, Arising From the Ashes is 25 minutes of solid progressive metal that shows plenty of promise. I'll be waiting to see where they go from here.
Track Listing
1. Summoning Accursed Gods in the Grave of Agony 06:32
2. Celestial War 06:12
3. Infernal Blood 05:26
4. Arising from the Ashes 06:27
Total playing time 24:37
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