I was thinking about who had got the most reviews on the site since it started a year ago. It should have no doubt been megalomaniac Devin who told me some time ago he was out from making music finito. Yep right, well we have not been kept up to date with his manic output so I guess someone much less known and maybe more deserving from the Ukraine will take this particular crown. Despite this being Munruthel’s first ‘metal’ album in six years that does not mean the former multi talented musician ex from Astrofaes and Nokturnal Mortum has not been busy. We have delved into his rather great soundtrack inspired ‘Dark Saga,’ the reissue of the overlooked album ‘Epoch Of Aquarius’ 2006 and there has been his involvement in Thunderkraft ‘Totentanz’ too. I could also mention him popping up on the recent Bathory tribute as well; you get the picture, busy guy.
So that leads us into the brand new opus, the rather strangely entitled CREEDamage. Looking at the cast list here is enough to make your head spin. It could not really be looked on as a solo piece with the amount of guests involved. There are choral arrangements and instruments such as violin, cello, viola, flutes and guest vocalists who we shall come to in time. I also note that comrade Master Alafern is a guest bass and guitar player on some numbers too. I fully expected this to carry on thematically and atmospherically from its predecessor ‘Epoch..’ and that is the sort of canvas I was dropped into on pressing play.
Starting with ‘The Ardent Dance Of The War’s God it is like being in a Hollywood blockbuster. Munruthel excels at this dramatic instrumental sound and it is rife with intrigue, danger and all sorts of exotic mystery. You could be in a deep dark forest looking for Inca gold, on the run from cannibals or you could be in a hidden kingdom taken captive by bare breasted Amazon women (sorry imagination ran away, you get the picture). We segue into ‘Rolls Of Thunder From Fiery Skies’ and a mighty roar and rasping vocal assault hone in. He sounds a bit like an angry Goblin adding to the fantastical elements of the music. Luckily there is a beseeching clamour from a maiden too so there is already absolutely stacks going on here. There are battle elements to the full clamour of the assault here and you can easily close your eyes and picture a scene to accompany the music in your head. The title track starts with one of several spoken word pieces in foreign tongue adding to the mystery but as it gets going you are well aware that the backbone of this world is a very metal one. There is plenty here that the traditional fan will enjoy and in fact there is a jolly swagger here and the occasional traditional solo guitar part there, multi faceted vocal styles and slap bang in the middle of the album an incredibly well fitting cover of Bathory classic The Lake. You feel like you are in the middle of a mighty production too, birds twitter, acoustic guitars add to the yarn, clean vocal swoops hone in and this is as ambitious as anything the likes of bands such as Therion, Dimmu Borgir or Nightwish could unleash.
The folk laden flute jig of ‘The Mown Dawns Lie On The Ground’ is complete with what sounds like clashing swords, who better to accompany said dance than the instantly identifiable voice of Arkona muse Masha who is actually singing rather than adopting her screaming persona. The Age Of Heroes could be an instrumental Arnie clad march into battle prior to decimating everything in sight (very Terminator sounding) and then as mentioned that brilliant Bathory cover with vocals provided by Wolfstan of Forefather!
The jubilant swagger of ‘The Eyes Of The Abyss’ really gets your blood pumping. We have warrior charged vocals, massive sounding orchestral sweeps, pipe parts and strings as well as some great vocal croons that really hit the rafters and along with the flamboyant and equally formidable Carpathian’s Shield you have one hell of an album. Munruthel does not stop there however even with a good running time he extends it to an hours length with the three part instrumental number Krada. I am not going to describe all this here but it is certainly not a part for skipping, just lay back, close those eyes again and you really are able to take yourself off to never-never land.
CREEDamage is an epic and hugely entertaining piece of work, it is ambitious, dramatic and incredibly well conceived. A cinematic ear watering treat if ever I have heard one and well worth checking out if steel runs thick in your blood.
(8.5/10 Pete Woods)
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