Doomster
I love this album! Finnish doom freaks Reverend Bizarre once again succeed in creating a powerful traditional doom metal release, and, being their final album, they definetely went out with a bang.
Despite this being a very, very good album, though, there are several flaws which keep it from being as good as the band's other releases. For one, the vocals are a little lower in the mix as some other reviews stated, which can get quite irritating given the fact that Albert Witchfinder's "operatic" vocals are what stood out most among the band. In this album, they are a little less epic, comparable in some ways to that of Electric Wizard's "Dopethrone" album.
Another flaw I must point out is the song lengths. I adore long songs, but some of the tracks on this album seem to be forcibly dragged out in my opinion. A prime example of this would be "Teutonic Witch", which lasts a little over 29 minutes in length. Compared to 20 minute epics like "Cirith Ungol" from the band's debut or "Slave of Satan", these song's lengths seem a bit forced.
On to the good aspects of this album. The lyrics are incredibly well written, as displayed on songs like "Anywhere Out Of This World" and "Caesar Forever". It is also arguably RB's most unique album to date. Short instrumental songs are scattered throughout this release, such as the 4 minute "Kundalini Arisen" which shows the more stoner doom metal side to the band, and the 3 minute filler piece which technically concludes the album.
There is only 2 "real" songs on this album that sink below 15 minutes in length, and that is the slow, sorrowful ballad "Funeral Summer" which is written about the tragedy of losing a loved one, and the afromentioned "Kundalini Arisen", a fast, frantic instrumental piece which reminds me of Kyuss.
The last epic on this album, "Anywhere Out Of This World", is my favorite RB song of all time besides "Cirith Ungol" from the debut. It begins with a sorrowful melody before a bass riff comes crashing in at the 2:47 mark. The bass riff fades out into silence, before the sorrowful melody returns and plays for another minute, before the full band comes in at 4:02, and the journey begins. The lyrics to this song are quite sad, metaphorically depicting the band's reasons for splitting up. Not a dry eye in the house after listening to this one.
Though this is in my opinion their weakest album, it's still a great release, and not to mention a great parting gift. Reverend Bizarre have been one of my favorite bands, and it's a shame that they won't continue creating incredible music, but all in all, there couldn't have been a better way to go out if you ask me.