Review by Felix on November 21, 2019.

I know that reviews need a certain length to be accepted. Generally speaking, I share this point of view. Nevertheless, some albums can actually be described sufficiently with a few words. In the case of Graveland's Memory and Destiny, these words are "epic", "heroic" and "majestic". The gigantic gatekeeper of Valhalla has opened the doors and lets us in.

The album puts the focus on mid-tempo and atmosphere. The sounds of crying seagulls and breaking waves generate a natural aura and the almost monotonous background choirs add the suitable degree of grandeur. Instead of delivering surprising twists and turns, Rob Darken prefers to offer mesmerizing sound collages. The dense production underlines this approach. It is transparent, heavy and encompassing. Everything is well-balanced with the effect that the guitar does not play the leading role. But it also does not fall by the wayside. Instead, it is on a par with the keyboards that contribute a symphonic touch. All in all, the production guarantees an intense listening experience.

Of course, those of you who do not like Darken's approach in general will hate this work, too. The songs of Memory and Destiny could be leftovers of Creed of Iron, not in terms of quality, but in terms of style. Honestly spoken, I cannot say that this fact bothers me. I rather think that reliability is a strong value and it is good to see that Darken is of the same opinion. Consequently, the here presented five tracks form a strong unit. It is remarkable that the album has neither highlights nor low points - the songs flow seamlessly into each other and the overall impression is decisive. Their sprawling configurations create an almost celestial feeling and the slow-moving melodies combine heaviness and persistence in an exciting manner. The rare breaks are effective and despite their lengths of nine minutes and more, the single pieces are not too long. Darken does not enter the stage with insubstantial tunes and his in-depth understanding of efficient harmonies is one of the advantages of this work. At the same time, the raw and growling voice reminds us of his black metal roots. This means that Memory and Destiny does not reveal a polished or nice side of Graveland. The album has enough metallic elements to attack the listener with its subliminal violence and mythical elements ("Jewel of Atlanteans") are also not missing.

I have to mention a further element of Graveland's sound. It goes without saying that Memory and Destiny conveys this typical archaic aura which has become a trademark of the band during its career. Endless caravans of armored warriors pass by in front of the inner eye. They walk a burdensome path, but their grim faces express the determination to achieve their goal. No doubt Rob Darken himself has already reached his aim. Memory and Destiny is not the best full-length of Graveland, but it reflects the musical vision of a man with clearly defined ambitions. Therefore, I recommend this album to all of you who like medieval anthems without fairly ridiculous Viking choirs.

Rating: 7.8 out of 10

Review by Vladimir on November 26, 2024.

Within the Serbian metal scene arose a new eldritch abomination by the name of Festercult, a death metal entity from gloomy Temerin which presented itself with its self-released debut album The Brimstone Eloquence on November 10th, 2024. Anyone who is familiar with the members of Festercult, as well as their past or current involvements regarding bands and projects like Anguish Sublime, Wurmloch, Tales of Dark, Nekropolis, Senium and Sangre Eterna, was very curious to see what this newly formed band/project has to offer for the masses, myself included. Was it worth looking forward to this? Stay tuned to find out...

The Brimstone Eloquence resents itself as a very ambitious collection of ferocious and atmospheric death metal tunes with wicked riff work consisting of frequent tremolo picking, alongside bloodcurdling growl vocals and maniacal drumming all around. Apart from expressing very brutal and extreme aggression from start to finish, it also manages to convey a very macabre and death-defying atmosphere with a strong element of dreadful horror and suspense crawling inside the flesh like a parasite, whilst slowly entrancing into the hellish realms of Festercult. The album maintains its established heaviness and stylistic consistency on a solid scale as the album progresses, and along the way it seems to sink even deeper into the abyss with a track such as "Where Deathward Lovers Cry Tears Endarkened", where the whole journey is taking to another level. Apart from the five death metal tunes, we also have an eerie dark ambient outro titled "Mausoleum Nosferatu", which puts this nightmarish chapter to a closure, while leaving the door open for the next one.

Songwriting-wise, Festercult keeps things very simple and straightforward throughout the entirety of The Brimstone Eloquence, while the general song structures are enriched with riff ideas that frequently switch between styles. Personally speaking, I think that they do a pretty good job at establishing the core foundation with this album, showcasing their music as an ever-evolving monstrosity that changes its form alongside the song progression. One of my personal highlights of this album is the cover art, because it reminded me of the skull wall artwork from the Doom II: Hell on Earth video game, which is also very reminiscent of Morbid Angel's Altars of Madness, but presented in a more HR Giger-esque design. The only minor nitpick that I had about the album is the vocals, mainly in terms of how they seem to be a bit unlevelled with the riffs, whether it's due to the final mix of the vocal tracks or the overall execution, but something didn't feel quite right for me. That's not to say that it's all around bad or anything, because I personally think that Árpád Takács totally nailed his bloodcurdling vocals in his recent  funeral death/doom project Wurmloch, but here it seems like it doesn't have the right edge or precise extremeness that would fit the instrumental work of Festercult. Fortunately, it does not affect the album in any way, and I believe anyone can still enjoy it as it is. There is not much I could say about the album production other than the fact that it does justice to the music of Festercult, balanced out to the point where it's not overproduced or dry, but just right for this kind of wicked death metal.

Overall, I thought that The Brimstone Eloquence was a very enjoyable experience of an album which offers enough dread and horror to quench anyone's thirst for evil and atmospheric death metal. Apart from the minor nitpicks I've mentioned, I am still looking forward to seeing this band develop into something even more menacing as time goes on, and hopefully the next album will be even more than meets the eye. If you like your death metal dark, horrific and brooding, I highly suggest that you check out the band Festercult, you may find something to your liking.

Rating: 7.6 ouf of 10