Released by: Test Your Metal Records
Release date: Out Now (Digital Release)
Genre: Progressive Metal, Symphonic Metal
Links: Facebook
Lineup:
Vocals – Shay Hectate
Guitarist – Hunter Ross
Guitarist – Daniel Presnell
Bassist – Alex “Tuurm” RushDrummer – Joshua “Nassaru” WardChoir/Clean Vocal – Taylor Maltba
Track Listing:
1. Resurrecting the Blood Gate
2. Dimensions
3. Crucible of Titans
4. Resurgence
5. The Witch of Darkspire
6. The Betrayer
7. They Cometh In Fire
8. Distress On the Aberrant Planet
9. Ghost Walkers Exodus
Having been one of the first “journalists” to give Rapheumet’s Well any press upon the release of their first album, I’m happy to be re-visiting their music with their latest album The Elder’s Anthology. With their debut Dimensions four years ago the main thing that aroused my attentions was the fact that such complex and unique music was being written practically in my backyard. Hailing from a fairly rural area of North Carolina, I found it astounding that such beautiful yet brutal music could be crafted in such a desolate land for Extreme Metal. I was lucky enough to catch them live a couple of times, then they virtually fell off my map for some reason despite releasing two additional albums (one great, one not so much.) With the unleashing of their fourth album (coming hot off of drummer/vocalist/mastermind Nassaru’s excellent project Xael) Rapheumet’s Well are back to take their rightful place as one of the best and truly special metal bands going today.
The Elder’s Anthology continues with what the band started years ago, melding Extreme Metal with haunting orchestrations and spacey keyboard work, yet with this album they take it to the next level. The elements from before are still present: the brutal guitars and bass as offered by Hunter Ross, Daniel Presnell, and Alex “Tuurm” Rush, the mindboggling drums of Joshua “Nassaru” Ward who also composes the orchestrations and writes the songs, and the battle of growls and clean vocals provided by Shay Hectate and Taylor Maltba, and with some line-up changes, the band are better than ever. A deeply intense album, I find it is most telling at its more quiet moments, the depth of the skills of songwriting and performance. The dynamics between the walls of heavy versus the beauty makes this such an emotional album. Even during the heavier moments when Maltba’s voice layers on this lush melody there is no defeating of one of the other. It works on every level, creating a true Metal Operatic masterpiece.
Rapheumet’s Well has done it again, releasing another serious contender for album of the year for me. The Elder’s Anthology does the unimaginable in that it not only creates a perfect melding of very diverse sounds, but surpasses the past endeavors of this band by miles. If you love Symphonic Blackened Death Metal, and you have still not checked out Rapheumet’s Well, you MUST correct this now.
Written by: Chris Martin
Ratings: 9/10
About Author
