Album Type: Compilation
Date Released:
6/6/2014
Label: Caligari
Records
Act of
Impalement – ‘Echoes of Wrath / II - Hyperborean Altar’ track listing:
1). Echoes of
War 03:51
2). Heathen
Omens 02:57
3). Atrocities
& Spiritual Rape 04:43
4).
Necromancers Theme 04:04
5). Teutoburg Forest 03:05
6). Upon the Hyperborean Altar of the Triad Gods
01:57
7). No Viking Funeral for Betrayers 00:53
8). Inquisition (of the Innocent) 02:36
9). Northumbrian King 04:42
10). Rise, Ancient Pantheon 03:08
The
Band:
James De Rais
| Bass
Vlad | Drums
Dark Druid |
Guitars, Vocals
Review:
The
material on ‘Echoes of Wrath’ occupies a space with a bit more life to it,
starting with “Echoes of War” which gallops and swings like Celtic Frost or
early Moonfog era Darkthrone, though this is much more death-infused than
either of those bands ever were (save Darkthrone’s debut of course). In fact,
it might be a good time to point out that despite their being obvious
influences, Act of Impalement doesn’t strike me as derivative at all.
You’ll
hear Celtic Frost, Autopsy, Winter, all with a guitar tone on the grizzly side
of the Sunlight Studio sound popularized by Dismember. It’s a healthy mix to be
sure, and one that yields some top quality results without question. The
‘Echoes of Wrath’ portion of things wraps up with “Atrocities & the
Spiritual Rape”, and song that opens with a lurching, barbaric chug before
building to a much speedier climax at a speed more in line Motörhead or early
Entombed. After that pays off, it settles into a solid and deliberate grove,
which sets the stage for last year’s ‘Hyperborean Altar’.
Generally,
the “Hyperborean Altar” material finds its home in a generally slower tempo
than “Echoes of Wrath”, though there are some violent speed outbursts; most
notably on “Inquisitions (of the Innocent)”, which breaks suddenly from its
deathly ‘Panzerfaust’-style crawl into a nasty, slow-grinding blast. By the
time I got to this point on the compilation, it became clear that there weren’t
going to be any real weak spots on this tape. That’s not to say that Act of
Impalement couldn’t stand to embrace a bit more variety in terms of riff
structuring or drum beat choices, but the whole thing is strong start to
finish. “Teutoburg
Forest
Although
the cassette format isn’t for everybody, you’re not going to want to sleep on
this release. If you aren’t interested in the cassette, try the Act of
Impalement Bandcamp page for a digital download. Caligari Records have a great
find on their hands, and if you like the idea of doomy death metal laced with
black metal at its most primal, Act of Impalement should be pretty high on your
list this year.
Words by: Daniel
Jackson
