Seattle’s Book of Black Earth return with their record The Cold Testament, and you’ll probably be able to burn down any churches within a ten mile radius of your stereo just by pressing play.
Death metal of the blackest variety, the band’s organ-grinding riffs, machine gun drums and throat-shredding vocals are amped up with some cleaner production for this record. Never fear though, the gritty and raw sound BOBE are revered for stays, it just sounds a hell of a lot denser and meatier.
From opener “Weight of the World” to the brutal “Research & Destroy”, the band perfects the familiar black metal prototype- building on predecessors such as Morbid Angel and Deicide while welding their own intensity into their songs.
“Road Dogs From Hell” stands out as the bastard marriage of black metal and Pantera/Motorhead beer-can-crushing rock, and while the odd track out, it’s a good time. “Irritating Spectre” is easily the album highlight, with a phenomenal lead guitar line that carries it throughout.
The anguished, raging chorus of “Antarctica” shows off the powerhouse vocals on tap in this band courtesy of T.J Cowgill. Vocals and growls of this intensity yet always consistent are impressive- the emotion, the rage, the rawness isn’t sacrificed for the vocal effect, Cowgill has a perfect balance of both of these necessities and is a front-runner for one of the best vocalists in metal of any genre.
This is one solid record in the repertoire of a fairly young band. This is a band to keep your eye on.
