Humut Tabal - The Dark Emperor Ov The Shadow Realm
"The Dark Emperor Ov The Shadow Realm" is the title of Humut Tabal’s new full length and what an album it is! Hailing from the United States, Humut Tabal is one of the few American black metal bands, that still has the ability to rattle a few bones, whether they be bones that are in graves or the ones in your body. The influences are running wild on this release, ranging from Emperor to a somewhat strong Dissection vibe. It’s also good to see a black metal band that doesn’t feel the need to resort to the overt satanic shock value sickness that seems to have plagued this genre in the past few years. It’s definitely a breath of fresh air as far as the ideology of the band goes. Even though this is a very good release, I don’t feel that it is for everyone. Yes, the band is true to form as far as metal goes, it’s just that from my experience black metal fans don’t like a lot of variation in their chosen genre of music. Well, the variations here make this release a brutal one in its own right.
The riffs here are played in such a way that they tell a story all their own. It’s not like they just play them to set the rhythm, but also to set the mood. I get the feeling that these riffs were specifically created to accentuate the lyrics. That may not make sense to some of you, but when you hear this cd, you’ll understand exactly what I am talking about. It’s like the lyrics give you the main idea, but it’s the riffs that tell the story. I really like bands that take this approach because, to me, it shows that they have absolute and true talent. The guitar sound is very accentuating as well as it seems to set the feel for the environment of each track. It’s sounds and vibes and influences such as the ones in these songs that will make this band a viable component in the world of underground metal for the next generation of bands. I look for bands of the future to be influenced by Humut Tabal. This is just so gracefully brutal but yet is careful not to push any boundaries too far.
Now, it seems that we have yet another drummer who uses triggered drums. Yes, it does work well on this release, but I just feel that the end effect would have been more brutal and encompassing if the drummer didn’t relay on it so much. However, this is the way the songs were constructed and put together by the band, so they did what felt right to them. This is not an aspect that is going to ruin the pure listening enjoyment of this release in the slightest. I am just presenting the idea how much more enticing it would be if the songs were constructed in a fashion that didn’t require triggered playing. As far as the vocals go, they aren’t all that typical for a black metal release. Its seems as if the vocalist takes on a vocal pattern that includes a thrashier raspiness which works extremely well on this release. If I were to say what these vocals remind me of, I would have to say if the vocalist from Kreator tried to do black metal vocals, this is probably what it would sound like. I really like this approach and it complements the music nicely. If this sounds like an album you would enjoy then I urge you to get in touch with this band and get your copy. It’s independently released and for an independent release, the band did a really awesome job!
The riffs here are played in such a way that they tell a story all their own. It’s not like they just play them to set the rhythm, but also to set the mood. I get the feeling that these riffs were specifically created to accentuate the lyrics. That may not make sense to some of you, but when you hear this cd, you’ll understand exactly what I am talking about. It’s like the lyrics give you the main idea, but it’s the riffs that tell the story. I really like bands that take this approach because, to me, it shows that they have absolute and true talent. The guitar sound is very accentuating as well as it seems to set the feel for the environment of each track. It’s sounds and vibes and influences such as the ones in these songs that will make this band a viable component in the world of underground metal for the next generation of bands. I look for bands of the future to be influenced by Humut Tabal. This is just so gracefully brutal but yet is careful not to push any boundaries too far.
Now, it seems that we have yet another drummer who uses triggered drums. Yes, it does work well on this release, but I just feel that the end effect would have been more brutal and encompassing if the drummer didn’t relay on it so much. However, this is the way the songs were constructed and put together by the band, so they did what felt right to them. This is not an aspect that is going to ruin the pure listening enjoyment of this release in the slightest. I am just presenting the idea how much more enticing it would be if the songs were constructed in a fashion that didn’t require triggered playing. As far as the vocals go, they aren’t all that typical for a black metal release. Its seems as if the vocalist takes on a vocal pattern that includes a thrashier raspiness which works extremely well on this release. If I were to say what these vocals remind me of, I would have to say if the vocalist from Kreator tried to do black metal vocals, this is probably what it would sound like. I really like this approach and it complements the music nicely. If this sounds like an album you would enjoy then I urge you to get in touch with this band and get your copy. It’s independently released and for an independent release, the band did a really awesome job!
Self released
Reviewer: twansibon
Oct 30, 2014
Oct 30, 2014
Next review:
Torn The Fuck Apart - Sexually Transmitted Torture
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