Author: Primož Novak
Artist: Impending Doom
Label: eOne Music Records
Release date: 05.11.2013
Running time: 45:57
Rating: 3.5/5
American deathcore outfit Impending Doom are undoubtedly one of those bands that keep busy. In just under ten years they’ve put out 5 albums, and they’ve been through a few lineup changes along the way. Still, Impending Doom never managed to get much attention, even though they can easily be placed alongside Suicide Silence, Whitechapel, Carnifex and the like. The problem is that the band is labeled Christian deathcore, which is why many people simply ignore it.
Impending Doom started out more as a brutal death metal band, but on Death Will Reign they stick to more modern guidelines. That doesn’t mean the music isn’t still brutal, but deathcore tricks and breakdowns are now front and center. This time the band added another guitarist, which you can mainly hear in the occasional soloing and assorted atonal melodies. Still, that didn’t give the band any real natural progression.
Following the trends, Impending Doom have switched to eight-string guitars, which makes it more likely that there won’t be many fast death metal riffs, but plenty of heavy breakdowns and groovy parts instead. A slightly more death metal flavor shows up in My Own Maker, with faster guitars and blast beats. The album’s strong point is still the vocals of Brook Reeves, who has an animalistic growl and meshes perfectly with the low tuning of the guitars. To offset all that aggression and brutality, the band offers the listener calmer passages and atmospheric suspense, which make the music even more morbid.
Death Will Reign has power and diversity, but some tracks don’t get a chance to shine because they’re cut from the same cloth, a result of songs written in a hurry. The album was put together in a little over a year, which simply isn’t enough to come up with a standout record. The bright spots are the tracks Death Will Reign, My Blood and the closer The Great Divine. What puts many people off giving the band a chance is the lyrics, which are supposedly too focused on glorifying Christianity. This time the band doesn’t overdo it the way they did on the predecessor, Baptized In Filth. They put more emphasis on apocalyptic themes and assorted emotional states.
Impending Doom’s fifth album is defined by power, aggression and atmosphere. A bit more polish wouldn’t hurt, though, to break up the occasional monotony. Impending Doom do keep things consistent, but “tweaking” albums over the long haul doesn’t pay off.
Lineup
Manny Contreras – guitar
Brook Reeves – vocals
David Sitigg – bass
Brandon Traham – drums
Eric Correa – guitar
Production
Will Putney
Track list
- “Ravenous Disease” 4:15
- “Death Will Reign” 4:12
- “Beyond the Grave” 4:48
- “My Own Maker” 3:05
- “Doomsday” 3:05
- “Rip, Tear, and Burn” 3:02
- “Hellhole” 3:52
- “My Blood” 4:45
- “Endless” 3:36
- “Live or Die” 3:06
- “The Great Divine” 8:11
