The year in progress has been particularly excellent in matters pertaining to the metal of death. Seasoned warhorses like Obituary, Master, Immolation & Monstrosity have returned to fortify their reputations (alright OK! Malevolent Creation was a fucking disaster. Stop nitpicking, wiseass) and Beelzebub be praised, show no signs of hanging up the Hellhammer and Possessed tees just as yet. While this may seem reason enough to sacrifice a few nubile virgins to the horned one, there is more. If you've been even remotely following the death metal scene of late, you would no doubt have noticed the surge in the number of bands that have sworn allegiance to the insalubrious, hellspawned sound of the bands that pioneered the primal death metal explosion of the late '80s/early '90s. Californian quartet DeatheVokation's maiden effort The Chalice Of Ages is decidedly of this persuasion, although these motherfuckers have well nigh ended up giving the veterans a run for their money.

The Chalice Of Ages is as unadulterated and dripping with malevolence as anything that Morrisound or Sunlight Studios spewed upon an unsuspecting metal community back in the day. As Chacko pointed out, a certain territorial exclusivity pervades metal circles with not many bands being able to effectively breach this barrier. However, DeatheVokation have largely shunned the Floridan ways in favour of the more brooding, noisome, atmospheric rituals of the oft neglected early Finnish death metal bands such as Demigod and Funebre and infuse it with some elements from (surprise,surprise!!) Swedish death metal bands like Unleashed and Megaslaughter. Through all of this, the band manages to sound distinct, without attracting the tag of being derivative. The album is quite an epic affair, ticking past the one hour mark towards the end. Songs like The Chalice of Ages ,Embers Of a Dying World and album closer As My Soul Gazes Skywards (all of which clock in at a minimum of 8 minutes each) pull the listener into a sordid, all encompassing sense of gloom with their mammoth riffs and despondent pace. These are the songs which recall the largely unrecognized parallel movement in early Swedish death metal which comprised of bands like Megaslaughter and Utumno. The emphasis here is on mid to slow paced death/doom with occassional bursts of speed. The Monument is a strong contender for death metal song of the year. This song has one of the most memorable death metal riffs in recent history. The mid song breakdown is absolutely devastating in simplicity and desired impact. Gotz Vogelsang (vocals/guitar) and Brian Shuff use the twin guitar wall to good effect. There are lots of harmonized riffs and hauntingly melodic interludes like the goosebump-inducing solo at 2:43 on The Monument or the bridge around the 3 and a half minute mark on As My Soul Gazes Skywards. A well executed cover of Antropomorphia's Chunks Of Meat serves as an aperitif to one of the most ambitious and well executed album closers this side of Immolation. As My Soul Gazes Skywards is pompous in intent and flamboyant in execution. It starts of with a brooding acoustic intro and goes into a melodic, doom-ish riff that faintly points to My Dying Bride before Gotz's death grunts elevate the doleful threnody. The song plunges further into despondent pallor till the 5 and a half mark when the guitars come CRUSHING in, carrying the album to a soaring end.

The solos on this album are simply delicious,very melodic (not in the faggoty Gothenburg way, though) but ballsy and blazing enough to be instantly cognizable as extreme metal. There is some very tasteful use of background keyboards to give the album that extra touch of melancholiness. There is an underlying aura of menace in the album that makes it a great listening experience on the whole. The production job too is top notch. There is that slight bit of muddiness in the mix that gives the album a gritty, back to the roots feel (imagine that divine grime that covered the production on albums like Covenant and Severed Survival).

The Chalice of Ages is almost reason enough for me to end my gripes with the death metal scene of today. The very fact that there is a band like DeatheVokation in the current scenario almost makes me forget the fact that death metal is filled with faceless, talentless, market driven trendwhores. Without a shadow of doubt, this is THE death metal album of 2007. "Music that doesn't follow trends is meant for the ages". \m/



Year: 2007
Label: Xtreem Music

Tracklisting:

1.Rites of Desecration
2.Acherontic Epitaph
3.The Monument
4.Embers of a Dying World
5.The Chalice of Ages
6.Infinity Blights the Flesh
7.Carrion
8.Chunks of Meat (Antropomorphia cover)
9.As My Soul Gazes Skywards

External links:
DeatheVokation official website
MySpace
DeatheVokation - The Chalice Of Ages LIVE (YouTube Video)