Review Summary: Sweet middlesome decay.
It’s pretty easy to say that death metal has had its share of new entries over the years. As expected, the quality of the genre’s releases have varied from despicably poor to that of exceptionally great. Angerot’s
The Divine Apostate however falls somewhere in the middle of those constitutional extremes, isolating the rather obvious fact that not all death metal bands are created equal. Considering the continuance of the so-called old school death metal style within the genre and the listeners’ ability to dive head first into an over saturation of this particular sound the expectations that come with critically ‘good’ music have become loftier as the years run their natural course. It’s for this reason that
The Divine Apostate doesn’t reach the accolades of the genre’s more lofty acts - but is a worthwhile listen regardless.
The orchestral niceties that introduce “Below the Deep and Dreamless Sleep” ready the listener for the awaiting contrast of light into heavy. These fleeting moments however, are the few instances that allow the death metal aesthetic to contradict the punchy display of old school metal dressed up with a few ‘more modern’ tendencies. ”Each Night as You Sleep, I Destroy” also follows this train of thought adding acoustic interludes to the world’s of devastating sound that sits either side. As with much of the new full-length, Chad Petit’s vocal prowess is identified in the record’s earlier moments providing punchy, throaty growls and sickening higher registers. There’s dexterity to be found throughout the album; but the featurettes of Snowy Shaw ( King Diamond, Memento Mori, Notre Dame, etc ), Terrance Hobbs (Suffocation), and Ben Ash (Carcass, Satyricon) provide the album with a much needed injection of diversity. The unexpected twist of a King Diamond-esque “Coalesced with Wickedness” for example folds in the deathened march with the haunting falsetto of Shaw. For most, the instant nostalgia of theatrical
Abigail moments intertwined with blasts and thick riffs will be an instant attraction of sorts - but more importantly, the feature itself shows some out of the box thinking for a band that would otherwise throw a particular skill set into building a wall of sound.
To that extent, the Ben Ash inclusion provides a meaty punch to “Counsel of the Ungodly” - but the track itself begins to fall under the occasional sameness that rules the rest of the record. To expand on this point; if
The Divine Apostate didn’t have the talent of its extended roster the album would fall into a detriment of boredom. That’s not to say the music is bad, rather the formula used by Angerot on their sophomore fails to push past the inclusion of its guests.
If there’s anything to be said about Angerot’s sophomore it’s that they’ve added a level of maturity not originally found on their debut,
The Splendid Iniquity. In direct comparison with the latter,
The Divine Apostate is simply “more” without breaking the mold away from HM-2 led Swedish death metal landscapes with their splendid American death metal led lethality. That said, the album fails to build on its foundations in a manner that would launch their 2020 to a more commendable height. That said;
The Divine Apostate is a safe, commendable, casual listen that doesn’t look to a higher standard without its guest musicians.
