My first real review - "Under The Black Cross" by Pentacle.

  • Thread starter Dawn Bringer Invictus
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Dawn Bringer Invictus

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Under The Black Cross
Pentacle
Iron Pegasus Records
2005
Netherlands (Bladel, North Brabant)


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The "new old school" of death metal has predominantly been focused on two general sounds. The first of these is the post-Dismember/Entombed style of hardcore punk style rhythms combined with a metallic eye towards lengthy and intricate tremolo melodies. The second of these harkens towards ideas from the more occult side of New York extreme metal (Profanatica and Incantation), using sudden and abrupt often blast beat guided motions to regulate and vary a theatre of violently converging themes. From the Netherlands comes a band that pre-dates these two, going back to the year 1990, playing in a style that looks back to the early American rigidly pounding approach of bands such as Massacre and Leprosy-era Death but gives it a European tinge in its melodic sensibilities that reminds of classic Asphyx. These are best used only as general references however as they manage to create an identity separate from the previously mentioned groups.

As with many bands that attempt to re-create the same classic feel and excellence of the late 80's/early 90's death metal explosion, the music here is of a low-tech and simple execution but unlike the pop-metal, metal-flavoured indie, and "core" sounds of the new millennium this is not so much an artistic deficiency as much as it is a general stylistic attribute. Pentacle's compositional style is based upon a sense of contrast between jagged Hellhammer/Celtic Frost style crunching rhythm riffs and longer melodies, often tremolo picked, that recall Asphyx's The Rack although occasionally a slight Swedish death metal influence creeps in with their length and streamlining. Songs utilize the polarizing clash between the two in a way that evolves like an escalating conflict. Within each of these battles, a sub-theme will often break through the lines to start a small foray, one that hints at a future directional change. While the core idea remains the same as the song progresses, it reincarnates itself through the preceded theme usually with modified technique, before following finally following a bridge that triumphantly returns it to the song's originating riff.

A thick and somewhat dry production allows for a fair share of angry buzz, allowing all instruments to be heard fairly well while allowing for a fair share of rawness. A desolate open throated bark commands the instrumentation like some microphone-armed drill sergeant, sounding similar to the legendary Martin Van Drunen of Asphyx and Pestilence although not quite as powerful. Guitar is well acquainted with the cult heroes of underground extreme metal but pronounces its knowledge with a militant sense of order and precision, never becoming technical as much as it is strictly cadenced. Bass and drums bash alongside faithfully but throw in bits of simple flair at certain intervals to spice up the execution.

Although Pentacle do not break any new ground with this album, they are able to create a voice of their own and successfully build upon the earlier foundations of the genre. At times they occasionally sound somewhat limited by some instances of noticeable repetition and in their compositional ability. However, these shortcomings fortunately do not cripple or tarnish their artistic vision, with songwriting remaining clear, concise, and obviously guided by very experienced musicians. They are able to transcend perceives problems of aesthetic limiting the content (often made by those confusing the former for the latter) and have delivered a work that captures the same standard of quality of those that have influenced them.
 
This was an interesting read. This is a group I've never heard of, too, so it was especially intriguing for me. Thanks very much for sharing. Will you be writing more? o:

You could totally start a blog for this, by the way. That would be pretty neat.
 
Yeah, I will likely be writing more. I've been just reading some reviews on some obscure metal web sites and I've really wanted to look at music in a way that goes beyond "what it sounds like" to "what it is beneath the surface". For some reason, it's really hard for me to review more melodic forms of metal (bands like Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Metallica, Judas Priest etc.) although I fucking love that stuff yet for extreme metal, it just comes off as very natural for me.

I do have plans to review some more releases, mostly obscure or oddly ignored ones. Conscious Rot (last two demos), Incantation (Mortal Throne Of Nazarene), Obliteration (Nekropsalms), and a few others will be added to the list.

If you're interested in what this album sounds like, here are some songs off of it.