By: John McLaughlin
Visigoth | facebook | twitter | bandcamp |
Released on January 27, 2015 via Metal Blade Records
Riffs. Metalheads love them, as I’m sure many of you know – in fact, since this is a review of a metal album, there’s a pretty high chance that you, dear reader, fall into that group. The vast, vast majority of heavy music fans put their focus squarely on the riffs, and for good reason, since the vast majority of heavy bands put their focus on writing those awesome riffs.
For better or for worse, though, the listeners often let the riffs distract them from the vocals, which are more commonly the focus in other forms of guitar-based music. While metal has more than its fair share of incredible singers, screamers, and growlers whose names you’ve likely heard countless times, they’re arguably the least important aspect of the band for most fans. Bands with great instrumentalists and mediocre vocalists are often praised, but flip the script and suddenly you see far less love given.
And that’s a damn shame, because a quality vocalist can be a huge boon for a metal band. My evidence in this case is Visigoth’s full-length debut (on Metal Blade Records, no less) The Revenant King. The band started garnering some serious attention for 2012’s Final Spell EP, a solid offering of old-school US-style power metal. The quality of the band’s riffing has improved on The Revenant King, no doubt, but the biggest difference here is vocalist Jake Rogers, who has seems to have leveled up a few times since the previous release.
That’s not to say that Rogers (also the sole member of Gallowbraid) was a bad vocalist prior to this, because he was certainly a solid singer. However, there were moments on Final Spell where his voice sounds tight and restrained, whereas he seems to have learned how to relax more on The Revenant King, and his voice sounds more resonant as a result. His delivery is also more powerful and more emotive, and while that’s not necessarily the result of a technical improvement, I wouldn’t be surprised if the two went hand in hand.
The band behind him has evolved as well, tempering their 80’s heavy metal with liberal quantities of epic doom. The title track and ‘Iron Brotherhood’ will please Doomsword and Argus fans, while middle section of ‘Mammoth Rider’ descends into full-blown evil before seguing to the final chorus. Those looking for the faster-paced US power metal from Final Spell will certainly enjoy ‘Dungeon Master’ (they probably already do, considering it was the lead single), plus a quicker version of the EP’s ‘Creature of Desire’ and a sweet cover of Manilla Road’s ‘Necropolis.’ The interplay between the doom and power makes for a very dynamic album, and its ability to be both varied and coherent is perhaps its second biggest strength behind its ability to make you headbang like crazy.
The Revenant King hits hard on all levels. Visigoth already had good riffs and a good singer, and then both got better. Audible improvement from a new band is always a good sign, and if Visigoth have absolutely nailed it with their full-length debut. Metal Blade, you made a good choice by picking this band up.
