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Auric Gates Of Veles

Poland Country of Origin: Poland
2. Triskhelion
3. The Volga's Veins
5. Path To Arkhen
6. Auric Gates Of Veles
7. Salve Ignis
8. Generation Sulphur
9. In The Shrine Of Veles (Pre-Production)
10. Path To Arkhen (Pre-Production)

Review by Jack on April 9, 2003.

I think the Metalbite staff in general were not all that impressed with Hell-Born's debut album in "Hellblast." It was a rather stock standard approach to the whole black/death metal subgenre. It was decent, but nothing standout. 2002/2003 sees the coming of a new era for Hell-Born.

Everything about "The Call of Megiddo" is heads and shoulders above "Hellblast," production, creativity, musicianship, riffs. The whole kit and caboodle. Take 'Legion is Our Name' for example. Straight from the opening chord you can tell this is a different Hell-Born. The lyrics are catchier and easier to understand, the riffs are smooth and flow perfectly with the lyrics and vocals, and the guitar solos are short and snappy, making for a complete package this time around. 'Legion is Our Name' is just one example of Hell-Born's improvement, you could search through any of the other seven tracks and find a better song than you could ever find on "Hellblast." If base death metal is your thing, with a good chunk of thrash and black metal trimmings than you could do a lot worse with Hell-Born this time around.

Of course if you have a release that was in the first place simply mediocre, it is not going to be too much of a tough ask for a follow up record to be an improvement. I perhaps was not singing Hell-Born's praises enough. Hell-Born are the sort of band that makes you happy as a metal reviewer. They have successfully ironed out all their creases and dents and re-honed in on their strengths, making them not a new band, but just a refocused entity dedicated to their craft. "The Call of Megiddo" is a fine testament to them.

Bottom Line: I have been converted; Hell-Born is a far more powerful band in "The Call of Megiddo" in comparison to their feeble efforts during "Hellblast." Check it out (especially the title-track, it is just killer).

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 7
Originality: 7
Overall: 8

Rating: 7.2 out of 10

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Review by Maciek on June 22, 2019.

I have to admit that it wasn't easy to start writing this review. This album starts almost immediately, and the first immediate thought is that yes, it is a continuation of story started on Tremendum. Recognizable riffs, recognizable drumming, it all makes sense. And just like some albums require to be listened in whole, these two albums listened in a row also make one whole story. So, if you like Hate's latest style, this should be a feast for your ears. 

And how does this album sound like? I think that it definitely has more black metal elements than the previous one. And obviously those black metal riffs are accompanied by technically perfect and precise drumming by Pavulon. He and ATF are both full-time composers in Hate now, so you can enjoy ideas coming from both that make it a brilliant mixture of death and black metal. Adam's growls remain deep and still clear enough to be able to catch quite large part of lyrics. 

When it comes to black metal elements - there are two of them. One is the fast-paced chords, with the stylish mixture of old Satyricon and a bit of Dark Funeral. The other type of black metal riffs are the type of the more modern face of Satyricon, at least the type of ending to "Tied in Bronze Chains" or the very beginning of "Angstridden". And they sound really good and I think these are my favourite moments on this album. So obviously "Sovereign Sanctity" is my favourite track. You can watch the official video and check it out, it's really worth it. 

Unfortunately to me this album has one huge "but". It didn't grab me. I admire Adam's ability to make a change to his style and then continue recording in the same style two albums in a row. It is definitely recognizable Hate style now, when I hear these riffs I won't mistake them for any other band. Technically this album is flawless. Riffs are sharp, fast, precise and show quite big variety. As I mentioned before - drumming is perfect. Vocals are also recognizable and are the type of growling that I like. But I think I was hoping for some kind of turn to the atmosphere of Solarflesh or maybe even with some elements from Anaclasis or Morphosis. Those ambient sounds that I always liked so much are almost non-existent here. 

I know that my personal view is affecting my final score and I understand if somebody gives it 10/10. I think these melody lines haven't managed to fall into my memory, apart from "Sovereign Sanctity" mentioned above. This track is going straight to my favorites. Oh, one last comment - there are no Polish lyrics here, and I kind of liked those few phrases on Tremendum (track "Walk Through Fire"). And actually, some riffs on "Sovereign Sanctity" remind me of that track. 

Rating: 8 out of 10

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