This is one magic album. At the time I heard this it was one of those cassettes I bought cheap because I liked the look of it and I have to say the punt payed off!
The album starts off with a creepy / trippy intro (as many do) setting the mood for some melodic death metal which embraces a wide variety of styles within the one band. The band hailing from Sweden have a similar guitar tone to Dismember and Entombed but not as brutal but you can definitely hear that Swedish guitar tone in this one too. The band also rely more on atmospherics and a dark otherworldly feel rather than straight out brutality. The first real song “Lady Temptress” comes in well with some great riffs but its the second song “Mountain of Doom” in which you find out how unique this band (especially for the time) really are. Some atmospheric keyboards and clean guitar tones really set a unique atmosphere.
Through out the album Tiamat manage to combine a few musical styles into one neat package something that I think would make them a lot more accessible than the early releases from Dismember or Entombed. More traditional styles of riffage and vocals that are a little less “growly” than a lot of their contemporaries.
Over all Tiamat have come out with something special this had some great musicianship and stellar songwriting. Basically a complete package. This is another record that all i can do is ask you to give it a listen. If you’re into this style you’ll love it, even if you’re not this is a great release.
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