This is an exciting day when a brand new doom metal act comes together to kick the crap out of everyone’s expectations. I for one am impressed with the line-up comprised of Raven Lord members Joe Stump on lead guitar, Lucio Manca on bass and Csaba Zvekan on vocals, plus the drumming talents of Garry King (from Zvekan and Achillea). This impressive line-up has come together to create their debut album entitled: “I am God”.
What you get here is a doomy and phantasmagoric atmosphere, featuring dark-themed lyrics and expertly culled together into ten tracks of molten metal. I do mean metal though, since the roots to most songs can be traced back to late 70’s and early 80’s doom metal and traditional metal acts like Black Sabbath, Dio and Trouble.
The opening song “End of Days” strongly reminds me of mid-career Dio and it packs a punch to get your blood pumping. Vocalist Zvekan exhibits that Dio-esque scream on this track, setting me off in a good way. The next track “I am God” is a slow moving dirge that brings to mind the doomy feel of early Trouble and it pulls you right in and never lets up. I think the catchiest track is “Voodoo Jesus” relying on the chugging guitars to entice the listener and “Last Rock N Roll” just slams those prolific leads by Joe Stump home.
Stump’s playing is the key attraction though, often finding that meaty heaviness with his range as a guitarist. His riffing on “Higher” is stellar and I thoroughly enjoyed the heaviness on “Fade the Day”. The final track “Zero G” brings in those Black Sabbath influences, lifting doomy Iommi riffs and inserting them into the composition. The song is arguably the heaviest track on this release and bolstered by a tasty selection of riffs to end the song off on a good note.
Overall, this is an excellent start for Exorcism. They obviously wear their influences on their sleeves, but that’s not a bad thing at all. I rather enjoyed the heavy playing of Stump and hope they build upon their debut with a continuation of their core sound. I highly recommend “I am God” to anyone who enjoys heavy doom metal – you won’t be disappointed!
Kenneth Gallant, HMS
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