Artist: Cemetary
Label: Black Mark Productions
Release Date: 1993
Rating: 5 Skulls
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Title: Godless Beauty Artist: Cemetary Label: Black Mark Productions Release Date: 1993
Rating: 5 Skulls |
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Reviewed by Requiem:
1993 was the year I graduated from high school and made my college debut. This is where I began polluting the local airwaves with metal galore via the college radio station that had a miniscule reception radius of about 15 miles. But to hell with it, I was ready for the challenge. At the time fully captured by all things death metal, the metal director at the time, before giving up the throne to yours truly, taught me a thing or two about the melodic incorporation into the death metal sound. It was here that I realized the two coincided so miraculously together. Bands like My Dying Bride, Anathema, The Gathering, and Sweden's Cemetary took their inherent European love for melody, threw it into the death metal blender and produced some amazing sounds. Cemetary's Godless Beauty took and helped pioneer a sound that was soon to be replicated by many.Looking for a middle ground between death and serenity, Cemetary juxtaposed melodic guitar work with the abrasive death metal vocals, and an overall amped up attitude throughout. In the end, we were graced with an energetic foray of what I like to call rock and roll death metal. While not being the most technically proficient band in the world, something about the simplistic and almost clumsy feel worked quite well. Hell, it sounded good and most of all it sounded like a bunch of guys trying something new, while utilizing what they had for talents without overdoing themselves. The drum work and guitar solos gave you that amateur sort of vibe, but it all fit the role quite nicely. The vocals meshed the death growl with a sense of melody, much like Celestial Season and Pyogenesis were later known to do. The guitar attack involved the rhythm keeping the often simple power chord structures while the lead guy laid the single note melodies on top quite nicely. The drums kept things simple but rockin', leading the way in a manner that was more than adequate.
Although the album contains a bit of gothic flavor to it, the often upbeat feel and the spirited guitar work makes it more of a jolly sounding record than a morose one. Album opener, "Now She Walks the Shadows" starts things off in full throttle, with a galloping and speedy drum beat leading the way for a power chord driven guitar assault. "The Serpent's Kiss" slows things down considerably, with no shame in utilizing clean guitar melodies to pretty up the mix. It's also great that although the lead guitarist is no Yngwie, he makes a catchy solo happen in a rather simplistic manner. One of my favorite song titles of all time, "And Julie is No More", musically reflects the loss of a loved one and is a memorable number indeed. The classic part is when singer Mathias shouts "go!" before the amped up solo section. Things get a bit doomy with "By My Own Hand" which crawls along at miniscule velocity and portrays a very melancholic guitar feel. Nevertheless, it's a killer track. Conversely, "Sunrise (Never Again)" contains the most vigorous execution on the disc, speeding along from the get go. It's the contrast of energies that keep the album interesting throughout its duration.
Now, I won't attest that Cemetary invented melodic death metal, but Godless Beauty was a groundbreaking for its time. Many bands may not cite them as a direct influence, but this album alone is owed a round of applause for being so brave at a time where it wasn't widely accepted to tackle death metal in such a manner. This album along with a few others, led to my fascination with beauty clashing against darkness and melody against brutality, proving that the two fit very well together when handled appropriately. Leave it to the Swedish to be the innovators, as they have been leading the way in all styles of metal since its inception. And leave it to Godless Beauty to convert you into a firm believer in the effectiveness of primitive melodic death.
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