DEATH PENALTY — Death Penalty (review)

DEATH PENALTY — Death Penalty album cover Album · 2014 · Heavy Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
5/5 ·
Nightfly
With the promise of a deal on Rise Above Records from former bandmate and Cathedral singer Lee Dorrian, after the demise of Cathedral guitarist Gaz Jennings set about forming Death Penalty, their name taken from the 1982 NWOBHM album from Witchfinder General. His first call was to former Belgium doom merchants’ Serpentcult vocalist Michelle Nocon. Also from Serpentcult came drummer Frederik Cosemans and completing the line-up on bass Raf Meukens of Bathesheba, which also features Michelle Nocon.

With the doom metal pedigree of the band members I was surprised to hear that their eponymous debut is an album much more in the traditional metal vein, reminding me very much of those 80’s albums where metal could be crushingly heavy but still have strong melodies. Of course any band featuring Jennings couldn’t fail to have some doom elements and so it is with Children Of The Night being more along the lines of my preconceptions, though it has to be said that the trad elements still show themselves. It’s a killer track but so is nearly everything else on this brilliant incendiary album. Nocon’s vocals are a revelation – one of the finest singers I’ve heard for some time, again harking back to that classic 80’s style of metal vocalist. She has the power and range to get her tonsils around anything thrown at her. The rhythm section is solid as a rock and Jennings has come up with some of his best riffs ever along with some great solos. The production is fantastic, this album was made for vinyl as the power coming from the grooves of my double clear copy demonstrates.

Since the release of this album in 2014 Jennings has also been involved in Lucifer but as that is essentially Johanna Sadonis’ baby I’d wager that this is where his future lies. I really hope so as this band is far too good to release one album and disappear. If I’d discovered it sooner it would have made my top 5 of 2014 such is the quality of these songs.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

The Goblin Sessions Heavy Metal
THEM
Buy this album from MMA partners
Tormenta De Arena Metalcore
VORAGO
Buy this album from MMA partners
Infinite Metalcore
FUTURE GHOST
Buy this album from MMA partners
Heretic Melodic Death Metal
SUNCINDER
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Skull Burned Wearing Hell Like A Life Vest As The Night Wept Mathcore
FRONTIERER
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

OPETH`S Epic Headline Show at Bloodstock 2024 | YouTube Premiere | Full Set | August 9th, 2024
OPETH
666sharon666· 3 hours ago
Opeth '§4' Visualizer/Lyrics Video
OPETH
666sharon666· 3 hours ago
Future Ghost - Wolves (Official Music Video)
FUTURE GHOST
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Future Ghost - Nemesis Game (Official Music Video)
FUTURE GHOST
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Harrowed TwentyTenVideo
HARROWED
Bosh66· 3 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed