While staying with Finnish black metal, Pantheon of Blood have been bought to my attention by local black metal label Glorious North Productions. Pantheon of Blood are another mysterious band, who have released a demo tape and this 7", which I'm reviewing today.
First of all, the 7" I've got comes on black vinyl and the sleeve it's housed in is top quality. It folds out to reveal the lyrics to both songs on the record. Another nice touch on this record is that to carry on the Latin theme of the record's title, instead of just using the standard side A and B format, Pantheon of Blood have referred to the sides as Sol and Lunae. Sol translates as Sun and Lunae translates as Moon in Latin.`
Tracklisting:-
Side Sol - Overflowing Manifestation
Side Lunae - The Crimson Empress of Night
So starting with Side Sol, Overflowing Manifestation contains deep growls from vocalist Boreas and a mesmerizing instrumental section straight from the off. The staple members Boreas (vocals), Auroch (guitar) and Surya-Ishtara (guitar and bass) are joined by session musicians Wyrmfang and Shu-Ananda who contribute drums and clean guitar respectively.. Underneath those evil vocals, the music is melodic and Pantheon of Blood are able to add some deep, chanting style vocals, which adds another layer to their sound..
On Side Lunae, The Crimson Empress of Night begins with a plucked guitar intro, and this time has a more muddied sound but still one of melody. The lyrics to this and Overflowing Manifestation are sung in English and due to deep growl that utters them, they sound otherworldly. This song has a more ritualistic feel to it, with Boreas even adding to maniacal laughs and growls to it.
This isn't your archetypal hell for leather black metal, it's measured and well thought out. It shows a different side to the genre, one that is ambient and strangely soothing. Again, this is the first time I've heard material by Pantheon of Blood, but I really like it. Thanks to both band a label, the quality of this release is hard to match and I can't wait to discover what they do next.
Pantheon of Blood are on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pantheon-of-Blood/ and you can visit Glorious North Productions on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Glorious-North-Productions. You can listen to Overflowing Manifestation via the GNP website at http://www.gloriousnorth.co.uk, where you can also purchase this 7", which is limited to 500 copies.
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