In Dante’s Inferno, the second circle begins the proper punishment of Hell, a place where “no thing gleams.” It is reserved for those overcome with Lust, where carnal appetites hold sway over reason. In Nine Circles, it’s where we do shorter reviews of new (ish) albums that share a common theme.
The last time that The Glorious Dead and Eave released albums, they both came out on the same day and it was so hard for me to choose between the two that I chose to review them both! Imagine my delight, then, when the exact same opportunity presented itself to me again; choosing another double feature was a no-brainer. Of course, the obvious throughline between Cemetery Paths and Fervor is the fact that they’re both Bindrune joints, a name synonymous with quality to me, but there’s also a lot more subtle ties that bind them thematically together.
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Cemetery Paths marks only the second release from Northern Michigan’s The Glorious Dead, proving that slow and steady sometimes really does win the race. It took the band almost a decade of existence to release their debut, and with the passage of a few more years, the lads have only become more dedicated to their craft, espousing death metal the old way, with gnarly, slimy riffs and pummeling grooves being the stock of their particular brand of soup. On Cemetery Paths, the quartet peppers in more tricks and variety to their sound, focusing less on the essentials and throwing down more doom, more speed and more melody, without sacrificing what they stand for. It’s clear, now that they’ve made a name for themselves, that the end goal is to make something that sounds more like them and less like a collection of their influences.
Although, with death metal it’s hard to escape your influences, especially for worshippers at the altar of the old school. Cemetery Paths follows more of a Swedeath influence than Into Lifeless Shrines, thanks to the increased doom and melodic elements. You probably already know exactly what this thing sounds like, and you’d be exactly right. Does that make it derivative, unoriginal, uninspired? Not to me. A good riff is a good riff, and there are plenty of them to be found here, influences be damned. Cemetery Paths is a blisteringly fun album to listen to, full of heavy, headbanging glory and killer moments aplenty. While maybe for some it spends too much time looking back, I find myself enamored with that spectacularly perennial HM-2 buzzsaw sound. There will always be more depths to plumb in this corner of the metal world, and Cemetery Paths is another strong showing of why more and more bands are trying to get a piece of the action.
Cemetery Paths will be available July 28 on Bindrune Recordings. For more information on The Glorious Dead, visit their Facebook page.
In case you missed it, change and the passage of time is the thematic core of what brings Fervor and Cemetery Paths together. While the change on the latter was subtle, it is still evident, but on Fervor, the intervening years have done a lot more outright to shape Eave’s sound. Firstly, a relocation from Maine back to the band’s ancestral home of Connecticut provided a change of scenery and a fresh perspective, especially in light of the changing world. Secondly, the band’s attitude and thought process has shifted greatly. Where Phantoms Made Permanent was gorgeous but straight-ahead atmospheric black metal, Fervor sees the band get experimental and overall a lot heavier and more venomous. That’s not to say the atmosphere is gone, but there is a lot more naked aggression and angular dissonance than before, thanks in no small part to The Hardest Working Man In Showbiz, Mr. Colin Marston, lending his assistance on reamping, mixing and mastering.
Fervor sees Eave bring out a lot more of the tricks they have in their bag, from crunchy riffs to bellowed growls and, yes, an almost extravagant sense of melody. The big moments of spacey glory are interspersed more judiciously and separated out by moments that often go the complete opposite way: angry, noisy and jarring bursts of anger and outrage that sometimes even slip into proggy and experimental noise. For the most part, it’s really great to see Eave branching out and embracing the things that make them original. There’s not a lot of other bands in the atmospheric black metal tag that are attempting what they’re attempting, and sticking most of it. However, if I am allowed a small gripe, it’s that the downside of trying a lot catches up with Eave in a few spots on Fervor: not everything they try lands as cleanly, and a lot of times they probably should have let a good idea build instead of abruptly shifting gears. Still, it’s not a large complaint, and I’m still pretty happy with my choice of the double feature this week.
Fervor will also be available July 28 on Bindrune Recordings. For more information on Eave, visit their Facebook page.
So there you go: Bindrune’s back at it again, and so should you, with your wallet. A nice couple of slices of something to tide us over until the big Bindrune release, which, god willing and the creek don’t rise, should be later this year…until then, give these a couple spins and see if they don’t do something positive for you like they did for me.
— Ian
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