In the
death metal
/
black metal
field, bands generally adhere to the following rules: go for the jugular, show no mercy, whip the listener into submission and take no prisoners. In most cases,
isn't about intricacy or musicality -- it's about exhilaration taken to a ridiculous extreme, and most of the kids in the mosh pit will tell you that crushing ferocity is its own reward. But not every
band believes in ferocity for the sake of ferocity; on
Redimus
, for example, England's
Hecate Enthroned
seeks a balance of musicality and brute force. This 2004 release is relevant to the styles known as "melodic
" and "
symphonic metal
";
has plenty of extreme vocals (some a
rasp, some a
growl) and there is enough high-speed pummeling to make moshers happy. But some parts of
are atmospheric and moody rather than flat-out brutal; these Brits soften their blows by combining
with a sense of melody and harmony. As far as this type of album goes,
is neither the best nor the worst that
symphonic
and melodic
have to offer -- it isn't in a class with the best recordings of
At the Gates
,
Opeth
or
In Flames
. Nor it is up there with
Hecate
's colleagues in
Cradle of Filth
, who wrote the book on
in the U.K. and are a prominent influence on this CD. Nonetheless,
is a generally decent, if somewhat uneven, demonstration of the fact that
doesn't have to be about sledgehammer ferocity 100-percent of the time. ~ Alex Henderson