Anonymous Epic Doom Metal band from Poland Evangelist returns with a third full-length album, Ad Mortem Festinamus.

The title of the album comes from a well-known fourteenth century song. According to common interpretations of it (translated into English, that is), the song suggests that death is inevitable (we knew that already) and that people should stop sinning. It was a devotional, unsurprisingly. The death part makes good fodder for Doom music – not so much the stop sinning bit.

Evangelist is a band from Kraków, according to the Metal Archives, that keeps its member roster secret. They, whoever they are, have been releasing music since 2011 with the inaugural In Partibus Infidelium. Consistent production followed, with singles, LPs, and now the EP at hand. The new album is a bit of a collection in that it includes three tracks recorded during the Deus Vult sessions couple of years back, a cover song (the closer, “Mystification”), and two new songs.

The musical style is Epic Doom, with means big, rich guitar riffs and theatrical vocals that sound like Ronnie James Dio performing Andrew Lloyd Weber. The first song, “Perceval,” is Grail lore, and it begins with a spoken word narrative. The music is very well produced and sounds excellent. In a way, some of it reminds me of a slowed down take on Iron Maiden. After a stroll through the story of the Grail, next stop is ancient Egypt with “Anubis.” The style of the music shifts appropriately, and you feel that you have moved through time and geography while remaining firmly in the Doom realm. Throughout the six pieces included in this set, the expert musicianship and compositional art of Evangelist are on full display. Fans of the band are going to be more than satisfied and newcomers can get a nice sampling of Evangelist’s musical idiom. Recommended.

Ad Mortem Festinamus is available this Friday, December 18^th. The easiest way to get it in the US is through Bandcamp at the links below.

Links.

Evangelist Bandcamp, https://evangelistdoom.bandcamp.com/

Evangelist Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/evangelistmetal/

Nine Records Bandcamp, https://ninerecords.bandcamp.com/

Nine Records Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/NineRecords/