VISIGOTH — The Revenant King (review)

VISIGOTH — The Revenant King album cover Album · 2015 · Heavy Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Unitron
As far as classic heavy metal goes, there aren't a whole lot of new bands of that pure old school 70's/80's sound, and even fewer that get much attention. The few that will, usually have bigger production values that ruin the impact of the music. Look a bit, and you'll find bands that both play and sound just like what could be a classic metal band of old. Visigoth is one of those bands.

Visigoth takes influence from bands like Cirith Ungol and Manilla Road, as seen in their cover of the latter's "Necropolis", but they don't come off as copycats. They sound like they would fit right into a hidden 80's metal gem list you might find, and deliver masterful traditional heavy metal in every way. The ultimate highlight of the album and one of the greatest metal songs of the 2010's is the single "Dungeon Master". The heat-seeking hook of the riff and attacking drums instantly just gets the listener hooked, couple that with beautifully melodic vocals, and you've got yourself a masterpiece. The bass gets some shine on the album too, with the crushingly heavy yet melodic "Iron Brotherhood", where you can feel the reverb.

Now sometimes with extreme high points such as that, the rest of an album can pale in comparison. Thankfully, The Revenant King does not. Most of it is consistently fantastic, "Creature of Desire" in particular comes very close to "Dungeon Master"'s greatness. It opens right up with a punchy riff and a scream that could have come right from a classic Helstar album. "Necropolis" is a faithful and excellent cover of the original Manilla Road tune, but the band gives it their own touch. The band couldn't have picked a better song to close out the album than "From the Arcane Mists of Prophesy", this is what I call an epic. Each riff and melody hooks the listener, especially sort of a mix of singing solos creating a rhythm in the middle. The epic perfectly ends with a melodic doom metal finale that would make 80's Candlemass proud.

What about the production? No polished bullshit is to be found here, this has a nice warm and organic sound that is what traditional heavy metal should sound like. It's not that raw like a thrash or death metal album needs to be, but you can hear and feel all of the heaviness on this record.

If you miss the traditional metal sound without any modern bullshit, Visigoth is an essential listen. Along with Crystal Viper, these guys renew my faith in bands carrying on the torch of classic metal. Turn it up, headbang, and sing to the epic melodies. It's old school all the way! Hope you found this review helpful, feel free to comment!
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