RISE OF AVERNUS — L'appel du vide (review)

RISE OF AVERNUS — L'appel du vide album cover Album · 2013 · Doom Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4.5/5 ·
Kev Rowland
This Australian band have certainly managed to make an impact quite quickly, with their debut EP only being released in 2012, this album being self-released in 2013 and then picked up by Code666 for worldwide release at the beginning of 2014. If that wasn’t enough, they are going to be touring with the likes of Rotting Christ, The Amenta, Septic Flesh and Fleshgod Apocalypse this year. Now, I think that the final pairing there is going to be some concert as these guys also have a strong symphonic style, melding doom and death metal into something that is much more than either genre, with an incredible amount of power. Much of that needs to be accredited to drummer Andrew Craig who is an incredible workhorse and his approach is very reminiscent of the mighty Gene Hoglan, boy can he hit hard and fast (or not at all of that is what the music demands). It is the darkness combined with the light that really sets this album apart from so many others in the extreme field as while the growls are incredibly rough and harsh they are complemented perfectly by keyboard player Cat Guirguis who has a wonderfully clear and pure soprano. There are times when she delicately accompanies herself with gentle piano, but at others there is a brutal band here struggling to keep themselves contained.

So while they can come across as Paradise Lost or Anathema, to my ears they actually command more brute force and anger than either of them and given how long those bands have been around compared to a debut release, that is saying something. This is an album that definitely rewards careful listening and close attention as there is a lot of layering, and multiple musical parts that all go together in making up this sound. Progressive? Yes. Doom? Yes. Death? Yes. Orchestral? Yes. Powerful and over the top? Yes and yes. Indispensible? Definitely, although the Kiwi in me does have to point out again that they’re Australian which just goes to show that no band is ever perfect. www.riseofavernus.com

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