Some bands try to reinvent the wheel. Others roll with it. There are those who criticize the latter as a copout for laziness. And then there are those who realize sometimes a playlist of Sabbath worship or Motörhead worship or Carcass worship is all you need. In the case of Poland’s Gallower, they proudly bow eastwards towards the altar of their teutonic neighbors. Modernity be damned! Why follow the trends of today when the sounds of yesterday still ring in our ears?
Behold the Realm of Darkness is a throwback to the days when Kreator, Sodom, and Destruction were trailblazing the first wave of black metal, whether they knew it or not. Right off the bat, I was grabbed by the lo-fi production on the raging opener, “Damned Cavalry”. “King of the Ashes” serves as the perfect followup track. We’ve got blasting drums, throat shredding vocals, and metal thrashing mad riffs with a blackened spirit. It’s this formula that largely carries Behold, but Gallower proves they’re more than a one trick pony.
“Gutter Rats” and “Lowborn Rebel Strikes Back” are pissed off punk rockers with a serious street attitude. I hear as much Discharge as I hear Exodus. There are also touches of punk on black metal tracks like “Funeral in Vain” and “Lustful Cardinal”, giving off a Midnight vibe. Amidst all this is the album’s palette cleanser, “Phantasms of Coven”. Situated smack dab at Behold‘s halfway point, it’s a dark mid tempo number suited for the old school headbang/fist pump combo.
Gallower is far from the cream of the crop in today’s black, thrash, speed, or metalpunk scenes. However, unless you’re some uptight hipster who won’t drink anything other than IPAs, there’s no reason you wouldn’t dig Behold the Realm of Darkness. It trvly has something for everyone (see what I did there…I’m here all night folks)!
7 out of 10
Label: Independent
Genre: Black/Thrash Metal
For fans of: Sodom, Destruction, Kreator