Review by Adam M on September 5, 2011.

Hero’s Last Rite performs a Slayer influenced brand of Thrash that is mixed with some obvious core influences. The music played by this band is fiery and powerful and this is demonstrated early in the proceedings with the highlight title track. This song will get the juices flowing with its aggressive nature and memorable chorus.

The music on this disc is more comparable to Slayer circa "Seasons In The Abyss" than the classic "Reign In Blood" because of the slightly more open-ended approach the band takes. There is some melody to these tracks and not pure punishment at every second as well. One can see variation added in tracks like 'Shame', which features some stellar solos to break up the pacing. Also, the transition from the storming 'Why We Die' into the pretty closing acoustic track 'Bleed' is effective.

For the most part, the music shows a fairly high tempo, however and remains fairly gripping. There is a lack of polish that prevents this from ever reaching the status set by Slayer with their greatest works and it does make the recording feel slightly underdeveloped. The musicianship is pretty tight, but it could be tighter and the vocals are rough around the edges. It’s these issues that make this a solid release, but a far from spectacular one by any stretch of the imagination.

Fans of both Thrash and Hardcore together will be the ones that derive the most enjoyment out of the release because it’s a hybrid of sorts, despite sticking to a rigid mindset. I had a good deal of fun with "Inevitable Is The End". It’s well performed, but lacks a bit of spark and refinement.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7.5
Atmosphere: 7.5
Production: 7
Originality: 6.5
Overall: 7.0

Rating: 7.1 out of 10

Review by Vladimir on April 4, 2024.

Rarely do I take a chance to check out newer metal bands, especially that of the doom metal branch, however my friend Zmaj from Pustoš recently recommended checking out the US band Early Moods. Once I finally decided to give it a listen, I was not remotely ready to face what awaited me. If you are a hardcore fan of oldschool doom metal, stick around and follow me along as I dive deep into the fires of hell to take a look at the second full-length album by Early Moods titled A Sinner's Past, released on March 8th, 2024 via RidingEasy Records.

From the get-go, the shadows slowly arise as the sombre mood is set with the oldschool doom metal output that Early Moods incorporates. Their songs consist of traditional elements that include heavy catchy riffs, mid-tempo drums and melodic singing vocals that are like preachings of a true doomsayer or a crazed madman. Aside from the standard riff ideas and doom metal song templates, there is a handful of exceptional moments on this album that provide a nice element of surprise to the music, going from superb melodic guitar work to the harsh and almost black metal-like vocals on the second track 'Blood Offerings'. Throughout the entire album, you will hear a lot of musical influences coming from various genre-defining bands such as 70's Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Witchfinder General and Saint Vitus, along with many significant others that played a crucial role in the development of doom metal. The driving force of the music isn't just the solid riff work, but it's also the strong suspenseful atmosphere created through the music, very much like in a 70's horror movie where something frightening is about to happen and you are just not ready to face it. As the album progresses from one track to another, you truly feel like this is just moving one step closer towards an apocalyptic event with each song, as the riffs get heavier and the tone of the album gradually darker. The journey throughout the entire album is super engaging and mesmerizing to the point where the epic finale of the last track 'Soul Sorcery' gives this a grand payoff.

Even though doom metal is considered to be less dynamic than other metal subgenres, Early Moods surpasses that limit with the strong use of dynamic arrangements where songs consist of smooth transitions between every section, all the while building up the anticipation of the current song, as well as the next one. This is perhaps the biggest highlight, as I was quite often left on the edge of my seat wondering what may come next and I was not disappointed. The best example I could give you regarding these build-ups is the third self-titled track 'A Sinner's Past' which has a slow section that prepares you for the heavy and catchy galloping finale of the song. Their songs are certainly packed with heavy doomy riffs, but the inclusion of melodies, bluesy guitar solos and clean guitar sections, really make the songs feel rich and powerful. Each time a new song comes up, I always think to myself that there is no way that it's going to get heavier, but yet it always manages to outsmart me once it comes to play. It is truly musical suspense at its finest, and I love it. I adore the fact that Early Moods is going for that authentic oldschool 70's occult rock album direction with their cover that displays the entire band in a frame with a logo and title slapped on top of each other, which I think is effectively executed for this album and it's very faithful to the albums of that era. The album has a superb organic production with a rocking guitar tone, heavy and thundering distorted bass, beautiful drum sound and clear vocal mix. During my listening, I started drawing a lot of comparisons to Lucifer's recent album "Lucifer V", as both albums sound closely similar due to having a very organic heavier rock production. I guess both could be considered as "brother and sister" albums.

This album turned out to be such a big and pleasant surprise that surpassed all my expectations and simply left me without words. A Sinner's Past is an exemplary album which proves that doom metal albums can still be catchy, heavy, and incredibly imaginative at the same time. It's simple yet effective, slow yet heavy, but most importantly, dark and foreboding throughout its entirety. I consider this album as a spiritual grandchild of Black Sabbath's "Vol 4" that rocks out in all its glory, and you should definitely check it out. Big thanks to my friend Zmaj for recommending this album, because it was indeed worth it!

Rating: 9.1 out of 10

Review by Vladimir on April 4, 2024.

Rarely do I take a chance to check out newer metal bands, especially that of the doom metal branch, however my friend Zmaj from Pustoš recently recommended checking out the US band Early Moods. Once I finally decided to give it a listen, I was not remotely ready to face what awaited me. If you are a hardcore fan of oldschool doom metal, stick around and follow me along as I dive deep into the fires of hell to take a look at the second full-length album by Early Moods titled A Sinner's Past, released on March 8th, 2024 via RidingEasy Records.

From the get-go, the shadows slowly arise as the sombre mood is set with the oldschool doom metal output that Early Moods incorporates. Their songs consist of traditional elements that include heavy catchy riffs, mid-tempo drums and melodic singing vocals that are like preachings of a true doomsayer or a crazed madman. Aside from the standard riff ideas and doom metal song templates, there is a handful of exceptional moments on this album that provide a nice element of surprise to the music, going from superb melodic guitar work to the harsh and almost black metal-like vocals on the second track 'Blood Offerings'. Throughout the entire album, you will hear a lot of musical influences coming from various genre-defining bands such as 70's Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Witchfinder General and Saint Vitus, along with many significant others that played a crucial role in the development of doom metal. The driving force of the music isn't just the solid riff work, but it's also the strong suspenseful atmosphere created through the music, very much like in a 70's horror movie where something frightening is about to happen and you are just not ready to face it. As the album progresses from one track to another, you truly feel like this is just moving one step closer towards an apocalyptic event with each song, as the riffs get heavier and the tone of the album gradually darker. The journey throughout the entire album is super engaging and mesmerizing to the point where the epic finale of the last track 'Soul Sorcery' gives this a grand payoff.

Even though doom metal is considered to be less dynamic than other metal subgenres, Early Moods surpasses that limit with the strong use of dynamic arrangements where songs consist of smooth transitions between every section, all the while building up the anticipation of the current song, as well as the next one. This is perhaps the biggest highlight, as I was quite often left on the edge of my seat wondering what may come next and I was not disappointed. The best example I could give you regarding these build-ups is the third self-titled track 'A Sinner's Past' which has a slow section that prepares you for the heavy and catchy galloping finale of the song. Their songs are certainly packed with heavy doomy riffs, but the inclusion of melodies, bluesy guitar solos and clean guitar sections, really make the songs feel rich and powerful. Each time a new song comes up, I always think to myself that there is no way that it's going to get heavier, but yet it always manages to outsmart me once it comes to play. It is truly musical suspense at its finest, and I love it. I adore the fact that Early Moods is going for that authentic oldschool 70's occult rock album direction with their cover that displays the entire band in a frame with a logo and title slapped on top of each other, which I think is effectively executed for this album and it's very faithful to the albums of that era. The album has a superb organic production with a rocking guitar tone, heavy and thundering distorted bass, beautiful drum sound and clear vocal mix. During my listening, I started drawing a lot of comparisons to Lucifer's recent album "Lucifer V", as both albums sound closely similar due to having a very organic heavier rock production. I guess both could be considered as "brother and sister" albums.

This album turned out to be such a big and pleasant surprise that surpassed all my expectations and simply left me without words. A Sinner's Past is an exemplary album which proves that doom metal albums can still be catchy, heavy, and incredibly imaginative at the same time. It's simple yet effective, slow yet heavy, but most importantly, dark and foreboding throughout its entirety. I consider this album as a spiritual grandchild of Black Sabbath's "Vol 4" that rocks out in all its glory, and you should definitely check it out. Big thanks to my friend Zmaj for recommending this album, because it was indeed worth it!

Rating: 9.1 out of 10

Review by JD on November 25, 2012.

The UK is one of the major places in metal history. Many of todays acts can trace themselves and their music to Britain and their huge roll in making and shaping metal what it is today. A new crop of metallers are now coming out of the UK, to carve out their own sort of path in the ever growing scene we all know and love.

Obzidian plays an exciting hybrid of intricate Progressive Thrash, savage and very sadistic Death Metal that has added in a whole lot of melodies that come straight from all of the NWOBHM. All that is bound together with the bands passion for the music. What comes out is a metallic tour-de-force that the UK needs to be aware of and embrace.

With only one short song on the whole album, seems like Obzidian is wanting to give you your monies worth. I love almost every last track that was on this CD, but it was the sixteen minute plus song 'Blood Soaked Tears' that is the one that surprised me - as it never got boring or tedious and evoked many emotions that were accented by massive amounts of headbanging as well. It is class all the way through, each harmonies blended into one solid song.

Obzidian has been broken up and reunited a few times over the years, and that seem to just fuel them to bigger and better stuff when they came back together. They are now a solid line up and are ready to march across the globe to bring their brand of metal to the Banger Nation of the world.

Every metal fanatic should rejoice, as Obzidian now are offering up such a tasty bloodfeast of music.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 9.5
Production: 8
Originality: 8.5
Overall: 8.5

Rating: 8.7 out of 10

Review by JD on November 25, 2012.

The UK is one of the major places in metal history. Many of todays acts can trace themselves and their music to Britain and their huge roll in making and shaping metal what it is today. A new crop of metallers are now coming out of the UK, to carve out their own sort of path in the ever growing scene we all know and love.

Obzidian plays an exciting hybrid of intricate Progressive Thrash, savage and very sadistic Death Metal that has added in a whole lot of melodies that come straight from all of the NWOBHM. All that is bound together with the bands passion for the music. What comes out is a metallic tour-de-force that the UK needs to be aware of and embrace.

With only one short song on the whole album, seems like Obzidian is wanting to give you your monies worth. I love almost every last track that was on this CD, but it was the sixteen minute plus song 'Blood Soaked Tears' that is the one that surprised me - as it never got boring or tedious and evoked many emotions that were accented by massive amounts of headbanging as well. It is class all the way through, each harmonies blended into one solid song.

Obzidian has been broken up and reunited a few times over the years, and that seem to just fuel them to bigger and better stuff when they came back together. They are now a solid line up and are ready to march across the globe to bring their brand of metal to the Banger Nation of the world.

Every metal fanatic should rejoice, as Obzidian now are offering up such a tasty bloodfeast of music.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 9.5
Production: 8
Originality: 8.5
Overall: 8.5

Rating: 8.7 out of 10