Review by Alex on September 3, 2018.

One year following the release of 2017’s self titled album, Cemetery Urn returns with their 4th full length. This undertaking was not necessary as I was quite pleased with their prior album and was not expecting to hear of another offering from the band for at least another 2 years. This being because previous album is still somewhat new to me as it has only been out for a year and 4 months. Given their inconstant gaps between album releases, I did not know when another would emerge from Cemetery Urn’s crypt. The last death metal band to have done this that I am aware of is Tomb Mold with their 2018 offering, Manor of Infinite Forms which saw the band assume a more confident and improved stance when crafting their style of death metal. With Cemetery Urn offering another album so early, it would only be right to compare it to 2017’s release that was an outstanding showcase of overall musicianship. Having said that, 2018’s gift raises the questions; in what ways do Barbaric Retribution differ from the prior entry, and more so, does the album showcase any amelioration when compared to 2017’s self titled entry? It is important that Cemetery Urn show the audience what differences the new album brings and do these changes if any, positively or negatively impact the outlook of the album and bands future within the death metal genre.

The first thing that is made immediately noticeable are the vocals. They do not sound as deep as on the previous record, in fact it sounds as though Cemetery Urn has acquired a different vocalist. And upon investigation it turned out that indeed they had used a different vocalist for the recording of Barbaric Retribution. On their prior album, Chris Volcano of the Australian black/death metal band Abominator handled the vocals, whereas on the current record, S. Geoffery assumes the role of primary vocal contributor. This change in frontmen has certainly impacted the collective sound and atmosphere being created by Cemetery Urn on Barbaric Retribution. Cemetery Urn’s vocalist on 2017’s self titled album delivered a flurry of deep charging growls, whereas on Barbaric Retribution, the vocals sound like mid toned grunts and gasps as though the album was intended to be a cross between death metal and bestial black/death metal. If such is the case, then Cemetery Urn achieved that to a considerable degree. This assumption can be reinforced, given the lower registry of the bass guitar which is common in bestial black/death metal, as opposed to the vibrant presence it served on 2017’s Cemetery Urn. The method of vocals remain constant for the first 3 songs, then there is some level of vocal variation introduced by the time you get to the closing segments of “Down the Path of the Dead”; here they boast a deep guttural enunciation vastly contrasting the mid ranged grunts and gasps. Though I have a preference to the previous vocal style, this new introduction kept the material interesting. This should have been used more throughout the album, owing to the fact that there are times in which Barbaric Retribution became repetitious.

As mentioned earlier, the bass is somewhat absent, therefore giving the lead guitars more dominance over the music; this choice in mixing hurts the audibility of the vocals but not nearly enough to ruin the album. In doing so Barbaric Retribution to the listener is heavily guitar driven. The soloing is strong, the leads are thick when layered with a dirtier sound almost old school in nature, and creates an interesting blend of traditional death metal and “war metal”. The audibility of the double bass is also reduced thus encouraging the vocals to make a strong enough presence on the record. There are instances where the drumming technique bares semblance to the “war metal“ style. This can be heard on “Manifesto Putrefactio”, “Barbaric Retribution” and “Tendrils of Defilement”. This style is briefly introduced on select tracks on the record and is even backed up by guitar time signatures that mimic the play style of some “war metal” bands. Cemetery Urn’s style was more consistent in terms of genre sound and structure whilst offering noticeable shreds of technicality. On Barbaric Retribution the approach is more candid, chaotic and furious whilst preserving the flow of contemporary underground death metal. The pacing is also slowed down at some points and even when done, the loud guitars keep the music sounding far from serene, contrary to Cemetery Urn which possessed a cleaner sound. For example on “Death Mask Preserver” which opens with a black metal-esque guitar lead and a mid paced flow, is followed up by some tremolo picking that incites an air of immediate urgency. The guitar tuning on the entirety of Barbaric Retribution mirror’s that of the early 90’s death metal bands such as Morta Skuld etc.

Barbaric Retribution was an exhausting listening experience at first due to the overwhelming guitar tone, new approach to the vocals and the added techniques of drumming and riffing. Repeated listens did not point out any hidden pieces that may have been enjoyable, instead it became a bit monotonous and tedious listening experience. This may be attributed to the fact I still am enjoying the previous effort, so this outlook may change with the progression of time. Thus being said, is it better than 2017's Cemetery Urn? No, it is in no way superior to it, however it does a good job of incorporating the black/death style of song composition. Overall Barbaric Retribution is a contrasting entry that seemed fitting for the new vocalist’s style. Its an above average entry that will take multiple listens in order to wholly appreciate. Cemetery Urn is still capable of producing great death metal I suppose, but Barbaric Retribution is not an improvement over 2017’s Cemetery Urn, instead it's the ushering of a new era in the bands musical career.

Highlights:

• "Deathmask Preserver"
• "Down the Path of the Dead"
• "Tendrils of Defilement"

Review by Brexaul on December 20, 2020.

Dwelling in the darkest corners of the heavy metal forums sure has its perks. It can be a wonderful journey of discovery and exchanging suggestions with other like minded people from around the world and it is a shortcut from coal mining to striking gold. I didn't notice at once, but during my daily virtual walks I kept bumping into one name that was apparently burning the underground epic-power metal scene like a midsummer wildfire, so I decided to check them out. Sacred Outcry is not a new band, these are not new songs, this is not new power metal but oh boy I was in for a treat. With the element of surprise working in their favour, Sacred Outcry teamed up with No Remorse Records to unleash the perfect storm upon the epic power metal scene. I think it hardly does justice to categorize the album as power metal since that could mistakenly put them in the same bracket as all the smurf happy-go-lucky bands of our days, but you youngsters make no mistake, this album packs more punch than Saitama.

The album's imagery is breathtaking. This type of music thrives on big, epic visuals and this is exactly what I would have expected as it portrays their music to the fullest. Michael Moorcock's favourite anti-hero Elric, stands silent outside the walls of Immryr (?) ready to lay waste to all who oppose him. After the beautiful acoustic intro, we are greeted by the pure emotion of 'Legion of the Fallen' and it's a really unbelievable ride until the very last seconds of 'Farewell'. No fillers, no bullshit, every single track cuts deep and transports you to a time long gone by. A masterclass in song progression and idea placement and a near perfect execution from everyone involved.

The guitars dominate with excellent riffs and well executed solos that cover a very wide scope of technical prowess to straight up sing-along melodies. The reference point here would be the U.S. metal legends Warlord, as there are many points that the influence of Bill Tsamis is channeled through the pure emotion the solos convey, done very tastefully and with a peak sense of confidence. Special mention to the wonderful acoustic guitars that are excessively used and seem to be driving some songs forward with the absolute highlight of 'Scared to Cry', a modern day 'Bard's Song' (we need this played at Wacken with 20,000 people singing guys, come on!). I haven’t heard such a cool rhythm section in I don't know how many years, with the ever impressive thunderous drums laying the groundwork and the bass -perfectly audible- tightly driving the songs forward and even daring to steal the lead spot in some rare occasions (there are even a couple of cool bass solos, one of them a very not-so-subtle nod to Marcus Grosskopf). The overall ambiance is amazing as the orchestral arrangements manage to sneak by the massive wall of sound and offer some bone chilling moments, always adding to the songs and never taking the spotlight. All that backed by a very high production value that makes everything sound huge, fresh and on today's standards.

And of course, the vocals. I imagine Yannis Papadopoulos (Beast in Black) has about two hundred guest-singing requests every day but this time he chose wisely. The vocal lines are immaculately done and the attention to detail is insane, perfect meter, perfect rhyme and feeling right down to each syllable or vowel. Performances like this will eventually solidify him as one of the best singers of the new generation and it is performances like this that separate Sacred Outcry from the main bulk of NWOTHM stuff that usually suffer from good songwriting backed up by mediocre or straight up horrible voices. Please Yannis, if you ever read this, call the guys and tell them you want to do another album.

I will not go into further details on songs as this review is getting too big, but I will have to make a special mention to the 15-minute title track 'Damned for All Time'. We need more of these long epics, bands need to dare more and stop playing it safe (nothing wrong with safe but imagine if Eternal Champion wrote one of these babies!). The whole thing clearly showcases the craftsmanship and the way the band absorbed and honours its influences slowly progressing to the absolute highlight of the album and in my humble opinion the past 20 years of epic power metal. Elric finally accepts his fate and the epic conclusion to his story is courtesy of the Gods of inspiration throwing a thunderbolt of charisma, Yannis screaming his heart out (Eric Adams style) backed up by a choir chanting "Stormbringer". This is the absolute peak of creativity. THIS IS EPIC METAL.

I don't remember the last time I heard a newcomer with such a strong sense of identity or such high quality song-writing. The whole album has an unmatched sense of coherence and that's twice as impressive when you dissect the songs and notice that they do not follow a distinct pattern. This might be due to the fact that the material is 17 years old, so everything sounds so well distilled and well-thought-out that it seems impossible to find a flaw. The attention to detail is inhuman. This is a colossal effort and respect should be given where respect is due.

The album of the year.

Standout tracks: No highlights here, just pick anything

Rating: 10 out of 10