Band:	Dead Congregation
Album:	Graves Of The Archangels
Style:	Death metal
Release date:	January 31, 2008
Guest review by:	Deadmeat

01. Martyrdoom
02. Hostis Humani Generis
03. Morbid Paroxysm
04. Vanishing Faith
05. Voices
06. Graves Of The Archangels
07. Subjugation
08. Source Of Fire
09. Teeth Into Red

Dead Congregation comes from Greece and Graves Of The Archangels is their debut album. Their members are not new in death metal, as most of them were active for years in the Greek death metal scene, so they are experienced enough to develop their own sound and give their music the identity they want. "Creating Darkness and Blasphemy is the only goal," they say and it's actually impossible not to get scared with this album!

Have you ever caught yourself, while listening to the instrumental intro of an album, wanting to listen to it again and leave apart the rest of the album (even from the first listening)? That's how "Martyrdoom" will make you feel. It's probably the most creepy intro in the history of death metal: torturous, scary and gruesome, this is the perfect intro. Even the members of Dead Congregation have stated that this instrumental song is their favorite of the album! Next to the final lurid notes of "Martyrdoom" you'll listen to some ecclesiastical psalmodies. The band uses three times in the album parts of the Divine Liturgy (in Greek) which makes them sound more haunting and blasphemous! After the amazing intro, the torture begins: relentless riffing alternates with slower haunting parts, dressing perfectly the guttural vocals from the abyss of Anastasis Valtsanis. The drumming is awesome, causing pain in your neck from the first minute! The songs differ a lot from each other, as there are many parts of violence and paranoia and even more parts of slow torturing death! Everything is perfect. The band is heavily influenced by Immolation, Incantation and Morbid Angel but not in a disturbing way.

The production of Graves Of The Archangels is also great; it's as if they've recorded it in a crypt. Really, the sound is dark as death! They must have stayed in a basement for a long time, without seeing the sun, as the atmosphere created from the production is totally creepy. The lyrics are another highlight of the album. Blasphemous words, touch your soul when you listen to the album. Take as an example some lyrics from "Vanishing Faith":

"Sin after sin, you commit.
Yet hide in the veils of repentance, only to sin again!
You repulse me..."

The last song's lyrics, "Teeth Into Red," are also amazing. Generally, everything from the band's name, to the cover art and the names of the songs is great and represents the band perfectly.

Graves Of The Archangels, is a complete Album. It's not just songs on a CD. It has all the elements that make it flow, it has coherence, a whole way of thinking behind every note. It is the definition of Old School Death Metal, probably the best release of the 00's in the genre.

This album will haunt every day of your life from now on?