By: Richard Maw
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 19/5/2015
Label: Unique Leader Records
,For anyone with an interest in death metal from Revocation to Morbid Angel to Immolation to Death, then this album should definitely be checked out. I enjoyed it hugely and recommend it highly.,
‘Sentinel Apocalypse’ CD//DD track listing:
1). Obligatory Conviction
2). Behold The Nexus
3). Immortal Mutilation
4). Achromatic Reign
5). Animus
6). Falsified Existence
7). Intergalactic Annihilation
8). The Beast Is Embedded
9). The Beast Is Awakened
10). Cognitive Hatred
11). Sentinel Apocalypse
Eschaton is
Rob Pattision | Bass
Darren Cesca | Drums
Jared Berry | Guitars
Josh Berry | Guitars
Jason Viteri | Vocals
The Review:
So, technical death metal is alive and well in Massachusetts
From the opener “Obligatory Conviction” you know what you are getting. The drums are lightning fast- blasts, lots of rolls around the kit and so on. The bass is pleasingly audible in the mix and the guitars are incredibly precise. They have a kind of rolling groove to them at times- a little like Immolation.
There are progressive elements to the sound for sure; it's not all brutality. Eschaton having been around since 2002 and it shows in the way the band play precisely and with lots of changes and bewildering speed. The hours of practice it takes to play this stuff is no joke. Having dabbled with playing death metal myself (3/5 demo review in Terrorizer magazine, 1997... oh yeah!), I know that this is the pinnacle as far as metal musicianship is concerned. To be able to produce this kind of sound- live and/or in the studio is the mark of dedicated and talented musicians. The fact that bands like Eschaton do this part time says a lot about those involved- they love it, they are dedicated and they do this for the sheer joy of playing extreme music. Satan knows that this won't pay the rent, but he'll take your soul in lieu.
Naturally, as with most music at the extreme end of the spectrum, a little of this stuff goes a long way. Eschaton know this and they deliver well crafted songs that come in mostly around the four minute mark. There are a couple of shorter sojourns, sure, and the final title track is a weighty seven minutes, but for the most part the band keep it tight and to the point. The vocals are pure death metal- growls and shrieks aplenty as the band whip up a devastating storm.
Unlike the Atheist reissue I reviewed last week, this is not jazzy per se; but there are angular riffs and passages aplenty, albeit with a lot more aggression than the old-schoolers used. It seems that the drummer uses the old Gene Hoglan two-ride-cymbals-played-open-handed trick (they are mixed in each channel) and this is VERY welcome. Any kind of tribute to the masters and particularly the “Symbolic” album by Death scores major points in my book. Indeed, the spectre of Death looms large in some of the riffing, but really this is a composite of the best death metal of the last 25 years.
For anyone with an interest in death metal from Revocation to Morbid Angel to Immolation to Death, then this album should definitely be checked out. I enjoyed it hugely and recommend it highly.
‘Sentinel Apocalypse’ is available here
Band info: Facebook
