Demo Title: I Invoke
Band Members: Gath - Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Synthesizer, Programming, Samples; W. - Guitar, Synthesizer, Backing Vocals
Location: Finland
Rating: 3 Skulls
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Band Name: Argath
Demo Title: I Invoke Band Members: Gath - Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Synthesizer, Programming, Samples; W. - Guitar, Synthesizer, Backing Vocals Location: Finland Rating: 3 Skulls
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Behemoth's Review:
This is not a concert review column, but must give a nod to MMM6 held last weekend at the infamous Cricket Club. After suffering through two very long days of over three-dozen bands, the wait was finally justified when Testament hit the stage, which they absolutely melted. Their sheer technical prowess and power was on full frontal display. Headlining the two-day fest and coming off a six-year hiatus, Obituary captured their sheer sickness and brutality perfectly. (Trevor pulled double duty ripping it up with side project Catastrophic.)Back to the matter at hand: Argath, a Finnish band from a country often known for its power metal, feature more of a blackish Scandinavian feel through their repertoire. The black arts evolve and with it music follows, Argath take a page out of this school of thought by delivering a dark somber vibe with ambitious intentions. Gath & W. formed Argath in the year 1997, and recorded their first demo Impurity and Chaos in 1999 which was not widely released. The next project was to be titled Remorse, but it never saw the light of day. This was followed by Argath in 2002, described as their most brutal recording ever, and Towards the Void. Finally, I Invoke, was released in 2003, a three-song thirteen-minute diatribe, featuring "I Invoke", "This Ancient Hate" and "I am the Sign of the Forgotten Centuries". This is a self-produced project, which comes with exceptional artwork.
Argath carves out its own unique sound thereby separating themselves from the tired, boring masses. At times the scales tilt with structured grimness towards Dimmu and My Dying Bride via invocation of subtle keyboards. Settle in and embrace the visceral driving riffs, black evil vocals, and sublime sense of songwriting. There is menace and evil to this project, which is totally cool - witness the aggressive guitars and atmospheric passages. The whispered vocals create an eerie edge to the madness with plenty of turbulent, twists and turns. On the down side, the production sensibilities are lacking and border on the raw side, either intentionally or unintentionally.
Argath provide a study in enchantment and visceral interpretation, by featuring dynamic sequences of intricate Finnish black metal. They plan to release a full-length album later this year; one would wonder when a worthwhile label might do the right thing.
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