![]() ![]() ![]() Metal and history lessons are common bedfellows, but rarely have they been combined to such brutal effect without sounding like a Wikipedia entry (looking at you Iron Maiden). This heavy focus on Caesar and the gang (that’s what I call the Romans because I’m a dumb ass that didn’t pay enough attention during history class) is brought to the forefront in ‘The Ides of March’ which sounds like the most brutal elements of Opeth colliding with the bombast of Fleshgod Apocalypse, as it tells the story of the Emperor’s terrifying power and subsequent downfall. The distorted vocals manage to be unrelentingly savage while being delivered with perfect diction that allows every lyric to be heard clearly, enhancing the storytelling aspect of “Imperivm”. Once again, it is full of gorgeous modal melodies and ethnic singing with almost every new phrase providing a memorable hook. ‘De Amare et Bellvm’ condenses an album’s worth of ideas into one opening song and sets the tone perfectly for the world they have built with savage vocals, lush orchestration and mind-blowing blast beats all taking centre stage at various points to form a dense but rewarding journey that pulls you into the world of Roman occupied Lebanon.Īfter having to digest a lot in that opening cut, ‘The Die is Cast’ kicks in with a low-slung groove that brings you to more familiar Metal territory and gives your frazzled brain time to process what you’ve just been hit with. The band have an excellent knack for building songs that showcase variety and technical prowess without becoming so overblown that the swelling orchestral moments lose impact through monotonous repetition. This would be engaging by itself, but when you add brutal Extreme Metal virtuosity to the equation with monstrous guttural vocals you’ve got yourself a winning formula. Kimaera immediately distinguish themselves from the orchestral riff raff by bringing a lilting Middle Eastern tone to every song, utilising traditional Lebanese instruments and employing evocative melismatic singing. So Symphonic Metal, we meet again! What have you got for me this time? Some warbling about forest spirits? A Hans Zimmer jerk-off session with some chuggy guitars underneath? A song that’s longer than most of the Hardcore albums I review? Oh! A Lebanese Death Metal take on the Roman Empire you say? Consider me all over that shit! But that’s a minor quibble, for overall this is a debut with promise. Although they improve in certain songs, the delivery at times could be improved. ![]() As I said, Ubachs vocals are a marmite challenge, and they are in my opinion, the weakest link here. There’s plenty here to enjoy, from the opening title track that has a symphonic intro in classic style, shades of Arch Enemy’s melodic vibe edging through in parts, through to the concluding sing ‘Dark Days’ with its sweeping orchestral flourishes that intricately fold together with the crunching guitars. Whether it’ll set the Death Metal world alight is another thing of course. It’s been done before, but the Belgians give it a real good go. ‘Co-Ed Butcher’ is probably the closest to Fleshgod and it’s also one of the most impressive tracks on the album, with female operatic voices providing a contrast to the gruffness of Ubachs. It’s blisteringly fast, punishingly abusive. Duelling guitars feature prominently, with Broos and Devos complimenting each other with some fine flicks, tricks, and more routine thunderous riffing. Drumer Joren Baert does a fantastic job throughout. The blast beats are hard, fast, and regular. The tempo is relentless as one would expect for a Death Metal band. It works overall, although I admit that Benny Ubachs’ vocals were something of a challenge until I acclimatised. Delivering monumental chunks of Melodic Death Metal, Brutal Death Metal and a Fleshgod Apocalypse style Symphony. A mere 33 minutes keep the band on focus and directed towards one vision. Firstly, who are Slaughter the Giants? Formed in 2018, the Belgian quintet released a debut EP “Asylum of the Damned” in 2019 and now unleash their debut record “Depravity” on an unsuspecting public. Brutal Death Metal combined with Symphonic and Operatic elements topped off with some real marmite vocals. ![]()
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