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Violence Divine - Treehouse of death (USA) |
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Saturday, 13 September 2008 |
Rating: 8.5/10
Has anyone noticed that the Metal horizons have gradually expanded to the Eastern and Southern regions of this planet as of late? It may be happening at a snail’s pace, yet with surely enough confidence to make one sit up and take notice of these potential new Metal “Mecca’s” of the not so distant future. One such center is located in Israel. It is suffice to recall such well-established acts as Melechesh and Orphaned Land or the recently discovered Ephrat and Amaseffer to see that the light at the end of this tunnel is not so dim as it may have seemed. Now, on this list is reserved a place for yet another up and coming five-piece called Prey For Nothing. If you have never experienced Progressive Melodic Death Metal hailing from this corner of the Earth and performed with enough mastery to rouse envy in any juvenile Swede perfecting his guitar or drum skills for a newly born At The Gates or The Crown knock-off, then this breach in your Metal education will be closed once you lend Violence Divine, their debut release even just a brief period of your precious time.
While at the back of my mind I understand that Prey For Nothing offer nothing terribly original with their mixture of such genres as Death, Black, Thrash and Progressive, and mainly sound like another decent act trying to construct their Metal edifice on the earlier laid foundations of these genres, I still think highly of these guys. The point is that the diverse influences helping form their music are so well implemented, yet intangible, that it’s really hard to name at least one band they principally take after. Nonetheless, I’ll venture to draw some parallels between Prey For Nothing and some other names that come to my mind while I listen to Violence Divine. Whilst the basic elements of this musical kaleidoscope undoubtedly go back to roots of such legends as At The Gates, Dark Tranquility and The Crown, there is also a huge share of borrowing here and there that sounds as if it was taken from bands like Opeth, Arch Enemy, Deathchain, Blood Red Throne and Miseration. For example, I can clearly hear the Opeth-style pushing riff onslaughts from the Blackwater Park period on “Breach” and “Averting Our Eyes”, as the songs abound in awesome solo showcases, enticing yet subtle melodic charms, and killer drum passages. Those are surely to be among this album’s rather numerous highlights. Also, as a gentle reminder of Opeth, are the short instrumentals “Summoning Sickness” and “Blend Into The Darkness”, both built around bewitching string arrangements backed up by beautiful pianos and solos.
Likewise, the Arch Enemy sounding floating guitar solos leap to your ear when you listen to the mind boggling number “The Deadliest Rain”, which is obviously my favorite on the album, mainly due to its unpredictable jumps and fascinating bridges. Somewhere around the second minute of this splendor, be ready to get a genuine kick out of the mesmerizing combat between guitarists Yaniv Aboudi and Eyal Glottman, sounding as if it were inspired by Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt-era eccentric melodies. This lick alone is nothing short of brilliance. The song is crowned with a marvelous acoustic interplay between the rhythm and solo guitars. I just can’t help but admire how naturally the guys play with all sorts of rhythms and tempos on this one. Another contender for the ‘heavy weight’ rank is the title track distinguishing itself with the very ominously sounding riff patterns and unmistakable eastern feel in the solos. Once again, there is a whole covey of unexpected turns and tempos on this one.
I would also like to note the exquisitely crafted bass work of Amir Salomon, whose jazz-inspired yet highly melodic improvisations stand out in more than one song here. For that matter, there is a conspicuous similarity heard in his playing to that on the last Blood Red Throne release. Yotam “Defiler” Avni ‘s vocals, mainly done in the Chuck Schuldiner semi-screechy manner, also occasionally flirt with massive guttural growls, and even include a short moment sung in a dazzling clean manner on “Bestowed Upon The Void”. Surprisingly, his voice is such a dead ringer for Scar Symmetry’s Christian Älvestam that one might think he had been booked as a guest vocalist.
With Prey For Nothing the best representations of Western based Metal are getting a serious threat to their previously unshakeable positions. Should they put out another album of as high a standard as Violence Divine and these Israelis will surely find themselves being referred to as one of the best Progressive Death Metal acts around, and with perhaps no special attention made to where they originate from. Crack on, guys, and remember to hoist sail while the wind is fair!
www.treehouseofdeath.com |
