Sunday 26 April 2015

Gevauden - 'Message for the Damned' EP (Review)


Album Type: EP
Date Released: 14/12/2014
Label: Self Released

‘Message For The Damned’ CD//DD track listing:

1). The Cursed Undead
2). Lament of the North
3). Message for the Damned

Gevauden is

Bruce Hamilton | guitar
Andy Salt | bass
David Himbury | drums
Adam Pirmohamed | vocals

Review:  

Doom that comes straight out of the commuter belt, Gevaudan are without doubt a beast of a band. The EP opens with the impressive “The Cursed Undead” as the band mixes weighty riffs with clean and well pitched trad doom vocals and death growls. The atmosphere and sound actually reminded me of a kind of slowed down classic Judas Priest (I'm talking 1976 to 1980 or Sad Wings/Sin After Sin era). The EP sounds good too- the guitar solos over just bass and drums at first and all the instruments sound tight and powerful.

There are hints of The Gates of Slumber here with fantastical lyrical themes and mournful vocals, but equally there are other classic doom references that I do not need to name.  “Lament of The North” offers more melancholy-and more growls- to build an effective composition with its tale of defiance and integrity. The band mix vibes well here- aggression in places, sadness in others and all of it sitting well together. The title track closes this impressive set- a positively Sabbathian start sets the band up to spread their wings over the following nine minutes plus. The riffs are stiring, the playing crisp and assured and the vocals are also well worth noting for their quality (something not all doom bands can boast by any means!). It is quality stuff and forged from the very furnace of real metal that gave us Sabbath, Priest, Vitus, Candlemass, TGOS and so on. If you like your traditional doom you should check this band out as they are a cut above most bands operating in this genre. Bigger things are to come, for sure.

Words by: Richard Maw

‘Message for the Damned’ is available here


For more information:

https://gevaudan.bandcamp.com/releases | http://www.gevaudandoom.co.uk/