Guthrum is the product of one man, Mark Wood (who has recently joined Winterfylleth), and pretty impressive. For this debut EP, he has established a professional quality of sound that many veteran bands cannot muster. But even more intriguing is the style at play, a hybrid of melodic black/death metal with folk elements and an intensely grooving bottom end."Erstwhile" is an intro which features the intonations of bells and an angelic female choir, over ambient effects that transform into flutes and acoustics. "Foel Grach" haunts with screaming melodic streams of picking, over a crazy double bass roll, which almost carries an industrial metal effect (Fear Factory, etc). A simplistic, chugging line begins to pick up the general pace of the track, while the vocals (courtesy of Elliot Vernon) bark across the massive sound. "The Anthem of Our Late and Great" is a faster track, with a driving black/death rhythm reminiscent of Hypocrisy's slower work, and some symphonic embellishments. The instrumental "Primoris Cruor" closes the EP, an anthem that charges off with some of the busiest riffs yet, and some folkish lead melodies.
Apparently this project has evolved into a full live band with contributions from members of Winterfylleth, etc. The First Ode to Many sounds enormous, and it's a fairly unique approach to folk metal with a modern edge to the writing. The individual tracks do not carry many individual, mind-blowing riffs, but the EP forms a concrete foundation from which future works can improve.
Verdict: Win [7/10]
http://www.myspace.com/guthrumuk
No comments:
Post a Comment