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As many of our regular readers may have noticed, we've checked out and reviewed tons of awe-inspiring extreme metal acts that originated in the UK...both big and small, obscure and mainstream to boot. And here today, Hecate Enthroned proves itself to be no exception to that golden rule, which is regrettable in the fact that we haven't discussed them much on the site — that is, until now. This Wales-based six piece endeavor's been on the scene since the mid 1990s and have thus far released five full lengths and even more material under the M-Theory Audio record label (with today's new album being their sixth). So let's dive right into it.
Embrace of the Godless Aeon is the mystifyingly titled sixth full length release by Hecate Enthroned and is one that offers nine tracks as well as quite a bit of content, nearly amounting to one hour of blackened melodeath. The themes are rather anti-religious in nature and much of the music itself contains orchestral odes with the implementation of various instruments, including some piano/keyboard action, scores, and the usual metal elements at the forefront. You've also got some guest clean vocals courtesy of Sarah Jezebel Deva, who's collaborated with the likes of such acts as Cradle of Filth and oldschool Swedish death band Therion in the past. In addition, the cover artwork was done by Nestor Avalos and the album's production was conducted by Dan Abela (who's worked with Deva herself as well as bands like Bleed From Within).
The album opens up with a fairly brief, but effective instrumental track consisting of some orchestral background music, piano action and overall buildup for what's to come. However, the second song comes at you out of nowhere with high pitched shrieking, tremolo riffing, blast beats and general wanton destruction in the form of a melodeath track. After listening to much of this one, I've realised that the album likes to do this a lot: to switch over between softer, more classical sounds and utter death metal insanity. There are a couple of songs, such as 'Goddess of Dark Misfits', that incorporate much of both extremes, with the added clean vocals and such. Also, some of the songs are quite a bit lengthier than others (coming up to 7 to 9 minutes for a few) and I honestly found myself liking the longer tracks a lot more.
For most of it I couldn't get over how well done the piano parts were in relation to the rest of it as well as how it added some calmer form to all the dissonance. The guitar sections are pretty varied in their own right, as the earlier tracks point to a more death metal atmosphere while later tracks that really shine through like 'The Shuddering Giant' and 'Erebus and Terror' create a strong, dreary black metal aura with their melodies, relentless riffing, and signature vocals. I also really enjoyed the transitions within songs as well, which I thought were pretty cleverly placed and made for great leaps in the way of musical progression. Overall, I'd personally have to say that 'Goddess of Dark Misfits' & 'Silent Conversations With Distant Stars' are my two fave songs for their inclusion of clean vocals (which I have to say, I wish were implemented more thoroughly and often) as well as old school kvlt blackened atmospheres coupled with some intricate melodies here and there (oh, and the outro kicks ass).
In all, I have to say that, upon my initial listen, I thoroughly enjoyed the vast majority of what Embrace of the Godless Aeon had to offer. The melodies, as stated before, are all well done and appropriately placed and they make for a decent clash with the death metal onslaught provided by the rest of the band. Everything sounds pristine from a technical standpoint and the energy as well as the emotion is all there to a great extent. And, aside from a couple of little personal preference-type nitpicks, this is ultimately an album that I could easily recommend to a fan of melodic death metal or black metal alike. It is surely an album that I see myself revisiting time and time again in the near future and it stacks up pretty highly as far as the genre goes.
Fave Tracks: 'Goddess of Dark Misfits', 'Silent Conversations With Distant Stars'
For Fans Of: Anorexia Nervosa, Dark Funeral
**This release is available now here and on the Bandcamp site!**
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-Review by: Dave Raffy
Musician, reviewer, fan & promoter
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