ALBUM REVIEW: Pale Divine, "Consequence of Time"

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 19/06/2020

Label: Cruz Del Sur Music

“Consequence of Time” CD//DD//LP track listing:

01. Tyrants & Pawns (Easy Prey)
02. Satan In Starlight
03. Shadows Own
04. Broken Martyr
05. Phantasmagoria
06. Consequence Of Time
07. No Escape
08. Saints Of Fire

The Review:

Pale Divine are back with an extra dimension to their sound, courtesy of Dana Ortt, ex Beelzefuzz. Ortt shares vocals with Greg Diener to excellent effect here. Following up their self titled record from 2019 is no mean feat- that album was/is superb and is still on regular rotation for me on both my turntable and my headphones.

Well, all the praise I heaped upon that record would just as well serve “Consequence of Time”- it is again a loose limbed beast that takes a lot of the best bits of the doom metal/rock genre and then melds it into songs of high quality- tasteful, subtle and weighty at the same time. For a band with so much time and so many quality releases under their belt, Pale Divine have managed to get lightning to strike twice here. To make two great albums in quick succession is rare indeed in this day and age.

Sonically, it's great too. Lovely guitar tones, live and tight drums and audible well mixed bass courtesy of the Celtic-heritage rhythm section of McCloskey and McGinnis...  Eight tracks with a fair amount of variety- there is some Nick Cave as there some is Sabbath here (Phantasmagoria), it's a taut release with the quality control high throughout.

“Tyrants & Pawns” is as good an opener as you will hear and if you were to check that out and the next track, “Satan in Starlight”, you would have a good idea of the flavour of the album and will have probably made up your mind about it. Much like their last record, there is nothing I can criticise here and nothing I dislike. Pale Divine are one of the best bands in the genre and it is so pleasing to see this Pennsylvania outfit going from strength to strength. The title track is a riffing delight that breaks the ten minute mark, rightly recognising that youth is wasted on the young- it takes in a fair few dynamic shifts and musical passages echoing life's ebb and flow. It's fantastic.

The album also closes out strongly with the pacey “No Escape” clipping by at a NWOBHM-esque gallop and then bringing the tour de force that is “Saints of Fire” to finish. The vocals there are sublime and it feels like a culmination the band were aiming for and the record deserves.

It's another excellent Pale Divine record and one that paradoxically expands and focuses their sound at the same time. If the band can keep this momentum going who knows how good the next album will be? Even if they can't, no matter: they've made back to back firecrackers. “Consequence of Time” is a great album and one that deserves to be heard by all doom/stoner fans and, indeed,  fans of  all heavy music this year. A wonderful and striking record.

“Consequence of Time” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Pale Divine, "Pale Divine"

By: Richard Maw


Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 23/11/2018

Label: Shadow Kingdom Records

 

Undoubtedly, this is one of the best US doom releases of the year and sits alongside The Skull and Apostle of Solitude as one of the best albums in the genre for 2018.

 

“Pale Divine” CD//CS//DD//LP track listing:

1. Spinning Wheel
2. Bleeding Soul
3. Chemical Decline
4. So Low
5. Curse the Shadows
6. Shades of Blue
7. Silver tongue
8. Ship of Fools

The Review

Pale Divine have been playing this music for two and a half decades and it shows- in terms of quality and experience. This record is doom/stoner doom in the traditional sense. Think The Obsessed, Pentagram, Trouble and throw in a heavy dose of Sabbath and The Sword and that gives you a fair idea of what is on offer here. The band also have some trad metal in their veins too (some Maiden-esque passages here and there) and that melting pot makes for a very satisfying listening experience.

The vibe is pure doom and comparable to the dark and powerful atmosphere that Iron Man conjured up on their “South of the Earth” album. “Spinning Wheel” and “So Low” both have heavy doses of Maryland Doom within their structures and the sound is pleasingly raw and live. It's melodramatic, downcast and features superb riffing with twists and turns that Sabbath circa “Vol. 4” would be proud of.

The bass work is fantastic- very Geezer. The drums are rock solid and tastefully done; nice fills here and there, good groove and good dynamic use of the kit. The guitar work is very Griffin/Iommi esque and therefore superb. The vocals are of course actual singing- rough edged and smoky and thus another huge plus for the record. In fact... there is nothing about this that I don't like.

With songs like “Ship of Fools” and the closing doom blues of “Shades of Blue” extending to the seven and eight minute territory, there is the possibility for the record to drag, but the playing time of around 45 minutes (or so, I am looking at the MP3 song lengths here and adding up) means that the record clips by at quite a rate and feels solid front to back. There are riffs and substances to die for in “Chemical Decline” as well as archetypal Sabbathian “fast bits”. “Bleeding Soul” manages an epic feel with a sub five minute running time- quite a feat.

If anything, the record builds up a head of steam as it goes; the back stretch providing some of the most satisfying music of the album. “Silver Tongues” is a grooving delight that fits alongside the best of US doom/stoner material. Conversely, “Curse the Shadows” strays a lot closer to proto doom/70's rock territory and is a nice change for the record.

The aforementioned “Shades of Blue” is a bassy and bluesy beast and closes the record in some style; large in sound and scope with a laid back feel to the grooves and delivery. Undoubtedly, this is one of the best US doom releases of the year and sits alongside The Skull and Apostle of Solitude as one of the best albums in the genre for 2018. It may well be that the Europeans have ruled the doom roost this year with superlative records from Dawn of Winter, Witchsorrow, Iron Void (cough!), Conan and Barbarian Hermit but this record is truly excellent and I have enjoyed reviewing it almost as much as I have enjoyed listening to it. Doom on, gentlemen, doom on.

“Pale Divine” is available HERE

Band info: facebook