Torture Tunes
Damnation Gallery
Transcendence Hymn
Damnation Gallery is a four piece black/horror metal band from Genova and as such are the perfect act to review on today of all days – October 31st. They have released an EP consisting of three fairly textured tracks.
The brief gothic orchestral opener, sounding much like the theme to a Tim Burton film is a pleasant piece of music to set the mood, and build the anticipation, for the encroaching tide of devilry. I quite like the wicked energy of their first track “Evil Extreme”. It’s obviously stemming from the roots of black metal, but with clear cut nuances of gothic rock. I would almost swear it has influences of punk.
Track two: “Dark Soul” has some nice guitar work in the intro, with it’s clean broken chords. Unfortunately the melodic singing overtop is a very pitchy. It doesn’t last long though, quickly giving way to horror metal viciousness. The instrumental interlude is also quite interesting.
The third song and the EP.’s title track, “Transcendence Hymn”, has vocals that work much more effectively than it’s predecessor – what with the trance-like verses punctuated with screams and shouts. A cool little guitar solo leads us into the final verse.
The EP leads out with “Rebirth” which is essentially just a brief atmospheric bit of shouting and stomping, as though it were coming from a dungeon or cavern of some sort.
Damnation Gallery
Transcendence Hymn
(Masked Dead Records)
Written by: Richard Leggatt
6.5 out of 10
Now I will say that this band is very new; formed this year in fact. But what they may lack in finesse and polish they certainly make up for in their energy. Their image (album cover and logo) is in need of some improvement but they have a devotion to classic thrash and NWOBHM bands, and seemingly possess a creative urge to push the boundaries of the genre. If they continue on their current trajectory then I foresee Damnation Gallery as a force to be reckoned with in the not too distant future.
Richard Leggatt, HMS
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