Lantern is a Black/Death Metal Band from Finland
The members are:
Cruciatus - guitar, bass, drums
Necrophilos - vocals
Lantern play an unrelenting and unflinching blend of Black/Death Metal with a heavy slab of atmospheric carnage thrown in for bleak and brutal measure.
Their debut album – Below – is quite simply one of the best Black/Death Metal albums I have heard in years. Yes this is some serious intense DM/BM carnage I have witnessed for a long time. DM/BM is not really my thing but if this is what the new breed of DM/BM bands are currently doing then count me in as I want to hear more of this. Below is 40 minutes that will scare the living heck out of you. For a two-man band these guys are simply unforgiving in their brutality.
Rites of Descent is pure carnage from start to finish. Intense vocals matched with ultra fast-paced riffs you would associate with the DM/BM scene. But Lantern bring a brooding sense of originality to the table. There is something creepy lurking amongst their music.
2nd track – Revenant – show that Lantern are really a force to be reckoned with. The music is played at such a fast pace it’s hard to catch your breath at times. Then the band start to play with your emotions by adding heavy slabs of Doom Metal to the mix. Now this is why I am starting to like Lantern a great deal. They don’t stick to genre conventions. They are succeeding in doing something original to the DM/BM scene
The instrumental work is just phenomenal to listen on the album. Lantern don’t waste a second of their immense talent and it’s a pleasure to listen to such a hugely talented band like this.
Vocals are screeched/shouted with the same sort of passion and emotion the guys put into their instrumental work. For a Death/Black Metal band it’s great to see a vocalist singing you can fully understand through out. Makes the process a whole lot easier to follow.
People are probably reading this and thinking I am upbeat reviewing a DM/BM album. Well the album is very dark. It adds tales of life and death with a dark brooding unforgiving nature. Yes it can be unflinching at times but it’s still an album that has a few lighter moments with great riffs you shouldn’t expect on the album. Especially on Man Shambolic Aura. Even some cool ritual chanting is littered through out the album. Now I wouldn’t expect that on an album like this.
Maybe I have strayed from the DM/BM scene for far too long but thanks to Lantern it’s a genre I will be visiting more often. Now back to my review – Below is an outstanding debut album from these hugely talented metallers. The production is perfectly balanced between the louder and quieter moments of the album. When the band really let go then they are simply untouchable. Lantern have the potential to be one of the leading bands within the DM/BM fields in the years to come.
Below is a brilliant album you should all experience once in your life. Check out the 9-minute epic – From The Ruins – to see how great this album actually is. Definitely one of the best Death/Black Metal tracks I have heard in years. The track ends the album in such great style you will be pressing the play button to experience this exhilarating ride once again.
Excellent and Highly Recommended.
Thanks to Clawhammer PR for sending me a copy to review. Below will be available to buy on Dark Descent Records from May 28th 2013.
Check The band from the links below.
Official
