Dread Sovereign - All Hell's Martyrs - review
Dread Sovereign - All Hell's Martyrs - review
Tracklist
01. Drink The Wine02. Thirteen Clergy
03. Cthulu Opiate Haze
04. The Devil's Venom
05. Pray To The Devil In Man
06. Scourging Iron
07. The Great Beast
08. We Wield The Spear Of Longinus
09. Cathars To Their Doom
10. All Hell's Martyrs, Transmissions From The Devil Star
A review by
Auntie Sahar March 12, 2014
Dread Sovereign expound upon the "heavy doom" ideal to an almost superior level, with All Hell's Martyrs containing enough thickness to satisfy BBW lovers the world over. The band's potent technique is established immediately with "Thirteen Clergy": pulsing, riff-heavy doom, with the vocals of Alan Averill as the icing on the cake that really helps to accentuate the vibe of the music and complete the overall formula. "Haunting" wouldn't necessarily be the best term to describe them, but they do have a very distinct, almost horror-esque tinge to them, like the tone your devious grandfather would take when telling you ghost stories past your bedtime after your parents consistently warned him not to. At the very least, the man knows how to deliver the goods.
Interestingly enough, perhaps even more so, All Hell's Martyrs also sees Dread Sovereign delving into slower, almost darkly atmospheric moods as well. The shorter tracks ("The Devil's Venom," "The Great Beast"), as well as some moments on "Cthulhu Opiate Haze" see a fine attention to a dreamlike, almost otherworldly sense of ambience, that forms a natural accompaniment to Averill's vocals and helps the music put you in the zone even more. This technique, however, sometimes feels a bit underdeveloped, and my only real complaint with the album was that it wasn't used more.
All in all, All Hell's Martyrs is without a doubt one of the better doom efforts of the year thus far, and as of now could possibly be considered as a contender for debut album of the year. The catchy riffs, the occasionally eerie atmosphere, the splendid vocals of Alan Averill, and even the well-executed guitar leads of the member referred to simply as "Bones" (just check out "We Wield The Spear Of Longinus") all combine to form one pretty damn solid effort, that definitely grows with time and has the potential to impress the more one listens to it. This album sets some high standards for Dread Sovereign to follow up on, and it's certainly one of the best modern doom efforts I've heard in quite a while. Play it loud, and doom on.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 8 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 8 |
Written by Auntie Sahar | March 12, 2014
Comments
Comments:
12
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| J. N.
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Posts: 6101
Aha! The moment I saw on Facebook that you had finally discovered and thoroughly enjoyed Dread Sovereign, I knew there would be an all-praising review shortly to follow. Didn't think it would be quite this quick though.  Great review for a deserving record, as expected from you, man! 
---- ~Zep, Former Database and Forum Moderation~ 
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Posts: 5989 Written by psykometal on 13.03.2014 at 00:20 I don't often review albums so quickly after listening to them unless they've left a really heavy impact on me and gotten me hooked on the sound. This one's definitely a case of that, so there ya have it 
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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Posts: 6101 Written by Auntie Sahar on 13.03.2014 at 00:27 I figured as much. Especially since the Facebook posting just happened yesterday. 
---- ~Zep, Former Database and Forum Moderation~
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Posts: 6101 Written by deadone on 18.03.2014 at 03:32 If you like more traditional doom, you'll probably like this.
---- ~Zep, Former Database and Forum Moderation~
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Posts: 5989 Written by deadone on 18.03.2014 at 04:04 Of course, but on the whole I'd say Dread Sovereign are a little darker than Candlemass
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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Posts: 3645
Never knew you reviewed this. You pretty much hit the nail on the head.
---- I hate bonus tracks
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Posts: 5989 Written by Zap on 04.02.2015 at 23:09 Yeah, this is how I prefer my "traditional doom," personally: dark and occult-tinged. Might be cliche and cheesy as fuck, but who doesn't like some good cheese now and then? 
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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Posts: 64408 Written by Auntie Sahar on 18.03.2014 at 04:51 I would say much more, lyrics and sound are darker, deeper and its more heavier but candlemass sounds more epic
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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