UNHOLY BAPTISM - Volume I: The Bonds of Servitude
Self Released
I reviewed UNHOLY BAPTISM's debut full length, On the Precipice of the Ancient Abyss, last year. I said some nice things about it but thought it was going to be a one off. Whoa was I wrong. Not only that but here we have this hooded Flagstaff, Arizona duo's latest and it's part one of a proposed trilogy. Ya know it's always good to see young people with goals.
As far as this new one goes UNHOLY BAPTISM are still in the homage mode to second wave lo-fi black metal. Nothing wrong with that. The icy tremolo picked riffs, whether blasted or creating a melodic atmosphere, really lower the room temperature. Vocals are acid tinged, raspy and harsh as could be. The drum work is simple and unfortunately is being overwhelmed by the vocals in the mix. Still no bass at all, this is full on treble slicing at you like a scythe.
In the end I'm kinda on the fence with this new one which frankly is horrible. Those pointy wooden ones will make ya feel impaled. But this newest release by UNHOLY BAPTISM shows more depth in their song craft as well as themes running throughout the eight cuts. Unfortunately their total kvlt approach is lacking for any listener who has devoted a lot of time as well as money in black metal releases.
The first half of this release is a rehash of their first album, While the second half shows huge promise with overwhelming power as well as a brooding atmosphere of hatred and angst. I'm looking forward to the second part of this trilogy because we're listening to growth here. Hey, we'll see.
https://unholybaptism.bandcamp.com/releases
https://www.facebook.com/UnholyBaptism/
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