GODLESS RISING

Go ahead and dwell on the fact that Rhode Island's GODLESS RISING includes in its ranks two members of the original VITAL REMAINS lineup (vocalist Jeff Gruslin and lead guitarist Paul Flynn) that contributed to the "Let Us Pray" album. Take a few minutes. Now get past it because aside from the fact that the GODLESS RISING membership includes the two veterans, as well as the group's sound being firmly rooted in old school death metal, this is an act that stands on its own as an entity unique from VITAL REMAINS. Following up the "Rising Hatred" debut (on Pathos Productions),Moribund snatched up the band, recognizing the quality of death metal played and the blasphemous attitude conveyed, the resulting "Battle Lords" album a finely crafted and ferocious platter of malevolence.

Eschewing technical overkill and baseless speed, "Battle Lords" succeeds precisely because the tunes written are undeniably brutal and infinitely memorable. Striking the balance is never easy and many a band has succeeded at one to the detriment of the other. Not so with GODLESS RISING. "Battle Lords" stinks to high heaven of assaulting riffs, battering ram drumming, and scorching solos, but it also contains eight songs that are distinct and memorable, giving you something to hold on to well after the listening session has ended. "Heathens Rage", "The Lair of the Cerberus", "Revelations of the Dead King", and the title track are snarling death metal beasts with the kind of melody that embeds in the brain without ever sacrificing heaviness. That you can actually sing along to a song titled "Sadistic Ritual Carnage" and still see nothing but visions of mankind's ultimate destruction says a great deal about the group's songwriting acumen.

Made even more effective by Gruslin's decipherable growl, as well as his sadistic screams, "Battle Lords" is a welcome addition to this year's bevy of death metal releases. And it's all due to a band that understands how to write a death metal album that keeps one's interest from start to finish, based on memorable song structures, and melts faces thanks to the incendiary instrumentation. Don't get caught up in the hype showered on lesser death metal releases, "Battle Lords" is an album you must add to your collection.