IRONY OF CHRIST – Words Of The Forgotten

The underground is indeed a good place when on the hunt for new bands to appreciate, and from Bristol, England, comes this very promising quartet. The sound’s not very British, though, instead the band leans towards the classic, Swedish style of Death Metal –- much in the vein of Opeth and At the Gates, while at the same time reminding of both My Dying Bride, Primordial, and at times, even Bathory with respect to the atmospheric and cold approach to melody making.

Guitarists Sascha Darwin and Dave MacLean are responsible for the EP’s six tunes, and there’s no doubt that this pairing is one to watch out for when it comes to penning catchy, powerful, and melancholic Metal. The opener, “Blackened Remains,” “Jeremiad,” and the epic title track are the three strongest compositions at hand, although all tracks could very well justify a place on a full-length album. One of the band’s strongest assets is their ability to diversify their sound -– there’s both up-tempo riffs, slow grooves, and more technical bits on offer -– and what’s even better it that they do it all very well!

It could be an idea to shorten down a song like “The Disenchancement” –- its 8-minute duration are maybe 2 too much, and although the music does not call for “shredding” of any sort, Darwin and MacLean (whoever plays lead) should work on their phrasing and tone to make the guitar melodies (even) more enjoyable. Otherwise, the performance is very good -– Darwin has a great, grunting voice, and the rhythm section of bassist Dan Bartlett and drummer Pete Aplin does a very good job in keeping things together. Aplin especially impresses via some very cool playing with lots of cymbal-work to make the grooves more exiting. Overall this is definitely a band to watch, and every fan of the genre should contact the lads at the address below ASAP.