Divine Weep releases another impressive metal album with The Omega Man, showing that the tradition is alive and growing.
There is strong force for death metal and heavy metal bands in Poland. You think first about Behemoth and Decapitated and Vader, and there are so many more. Divine Weep is another band that you should know about if you don’t already. Formed in the mid-90s, the group has seen a reigniting of its energy and passion in the last several years, releasing the album Tears of the Ages in 2016 and now The Omega Man. The current line-up is: Mateusz Drzewicz, vocals, Bartosz Kosacki and Dariusz Moroz on guitars, Janusz Grabowski on bass, and Dariusz Karpiesiuk, drums. The band’s music has changed somewhat over the years, as most bands do. The new album is very much in a classic heavy metal style, reminiscent of Dio and Judas Priest, maybe a little Iced Earth in there, too. Their sound is their own, though, make no mistake. Drzewicz’s voice is distinctive, and the guitar riffs and progressions are unique.
“Cold As Metal” starts the album with a growl and crunching riff upfront, leading into a fast, rolling hook. The song has all the elements that define the album – rapid guitars rhythms, precise drumming, blistering lead breaks, and a great stadium anthem line for fans to sing along: “Be cold as metal!” The next song, “Journeyman,” pushes and expands this basic structure, stretching the musical construction with more speed and clever shifts. The narrative tone of the songs tend along the lines of alienation, of being an outsider. Also betrayal. These ideas match the well what you hear from the instruments. There are a couple of slower songs, but mostly they are up-tempo, on the speed side of metal. The overall arc of the set is an updated, refreshing take on traditional metal. It did the trick for me. Recommended.
The Omega Man is out now and can be had in the usual places, notably Bandcamp where you can grab the download or CD. Listen to a sample first then go all the way. There are no regrets with Divine Weep.
Links.
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