Band:	Naumachia
Album:	Wrathorn
Style:	Black metal, Melodic death metal
Release date:	2004
A review by:	Jeff

01. Intro
02. Blustud
03. Vorpal
04. Diamond
05. Muertos
06. Lifeitis
07. Sickened
08. Cyberian Dance
09. Wrathorn

Ding ding ding, this is the third round of this journey in Poland with my friends of the label Adipocere. Now, let's talk about Naumachia, a really original Melodic Black Death Metal band from this country evidently hehe? I'm sure that some of you are already wondering how it can be something original when it comes to "Melodic Black Death Metal", and on a side you're absolutely right, but evidently there is something that you don't know yet.... The music of Naumachia flirts with Progressive Metal, and yummy that's a good thing.

This album is a really good surprise, in fact the band knew how to do something original in a musical style which is near of the saturation, and when a band is able to releases something surprising that's always a good point in my opinion. This is original yeah, and this originality comes from the keyboards and the really progressive aspect that the instrument gives to the music. When you'll listen to this album, you'll be able to see that the "lead melody" don't come from the guitars but from the piano lines. These perfects mix between the guitars and the keyboards with in addition the very good Black/Death vocals of the singer give something special to the compositions of this Wrathorn. The ambiance on the album is really special, not particularly dark or depressive, but it gives a really good feeling of power and brutality and I like to find that in an album.
The songs are all really catchy and even if I suppose that some of you will believe that this band is a new rip-off of a Children Of Bodom for example, I must say that you're absolutely wrong, the music of Naumachia is unique really, especially in reason of the progressive parts in its music. The production of the CD is also very good, great sound, nice artwork in a very complete booklet that's a nice work really and it confirms that the band want to catch a really big audience. It will happen I'm sure of it?

Naumachia with this first album gives to me some really great hopes for their future. This band has its own sound and this first album is a really "goodie catchy" one that all the fans of Melodic Death/Black or even Power or Progressive Metal will have to buy. For all the ones who like bands in the spirit of Children Of Bodom, but want something different than all the others clones of the Finnish combo, "Wrathorn" is a must guys and I'm ready to bet something that we will hear a lot about them soon?