I've only become familiar with Weapon within the past month or so, but I've listened to their first two records "Drakonian Paradigm" and "From the Devil's Tomb" constantly (and eventually added this gem to rotation) since, and am I fucking glad that I stumbled upon these guys. The Canadian quartet plays a brand of black/death metal (that at points blurs with other subgenres of metal) that gives Weapon a sound that they can call their own. If you've heard the first two records, then there isn't a reason you won't love this one like the rest, as "Embers and Revelations" evolves the group's sound in a natural way that doesn't sound forced, yet they've also retained a lot of that "weird" goodness that fans of the band have become quite fond of. They'e also continued to mirror some of the greats in their work that have drawn comparisons to amazing bands such as Absu, ("Altars of Madness" era) Morbid Angel, Watain, Beherit, among other acts that have provided plenty of evil and eerie tunes as much as they did crushingly heavy songs.
"The First Witnesses of Lucifer" kicks off the album, and it shows off the main tenets of the band's sound - dark melodies, thrashy riffs, incredible solos and top-notch musicianship, making for an ideal opening track. Another aspect of "Embers and Revelations" that immediately becomes apparent, is the production of the record. It's not very raw sounding (especially when compared to the previous albums), yet the music doesn't lose any of the eerie atmosphere or the harsh edge to the riffs. "Vanguard of the Morning Star" is easily my favorite track here. The cohesiveness of the band really shines through on this song when the melodic tremolos mesh perfectly with the blackened vocals to create a chilling sound that is followed with more stellar riffs and lead guitar work. Speaking of the lead work, the guitarists for Weapon have just the right amount of technicality in their songs, never going into a complete wankfest that takes away from the focus on writing actual riffs. This really shows on the guitar solos which possess a lot of melody and technical skill, but most importantly, they fit the rest of the music.
All of the tracks (sans the decent instrumental) on "Embers and Revelations" showcase what Weapon truly does better than most bands, and that's write terrific songs. These four metalheads structure their songs in a very awesome fashion that allows each track to have multiple moments that have the listener wanting to hear more. The amount of riffs, bass work, solos and every other aspect of the songs is balanced to perfection, creating a controlled frenzy of chaotic music that isn't too sporadic or hard to digest, instead memorable. Overall, Weapon accomplishes what they've set out to with every one of their albums, and that's continue to forge their unique and brilliant sound by conjuring wicked songs meant to haunt those who enjoy the dark music, as well as vicious tracks that'll get your headbanging. With the way that this band has been progressing, I'm already awaiting their next release which is sure to cement Weapon as one of this generation's premier bands.
Be sure to check out and like Weapon on Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/theweaponchakra
Highlights
"The First Witnesses of Lucifer"
"Vanguard of the Morning Star"
"Liber Lilith"
Final Rating
4.4/5 or 88%.