Thursday 6 September 2012

Eclypse - Apostasy (JHVH Elohim Met)

ECLYPSE - Apostasy (JHVH Elohim Met) (REDRUM666 - CD 2003)
Being Polish doesn’t necessary have to mean that I know every damn Polish band that’s out there and I do must admit that “Apostasy (JHVH Elohim Met)” was one of those albums, which I never had a chance to hear, until only recently. It’s a bit unfortunate, really, as at the time of its release I was running a fanzine and have been deeply involved in the underground metal scene and I also have been reviewing many other Redrum 666 releases, but not Eclypse’s debut CD. I have heard many good critics about it, there were some interviews with the band and I really wanted to get “Apostasy (JHVH Elohim Met)”, but some forces were making it impossible, until last month, when I finally found a possibility to buy a copy of it. Better late than never, so they say! Well, I must say that spending approximately 2 dollars for it was a real bargain. The music is worth the price and Eclypse turned out to be an extremely great band!
Eclypse is obviously a band, which nowadays is called Hell United – a change of this moniker was definitely a good decision, in my opinion – so at the time, when Hell United is promoting their newest album, “Aura Damage”, it’s a good opportunity to go back into the past and see how it all started. And I must admit that when I listen to “Apostasy (JHVH Elohim Met)” I am really impressed with the music from this CD. I mean Eclypse had recorded this album back in 2003 and the whole thing is purely underground work, with rather low budget, etc, but after nine years the album still sounds relatively fresh, aggressive and impresses with the songs.
“Jesus is dead… jesus is dead”, a little girl sings in the opening intro for the album (which I think is a sample taken from “Lost Souls” movie, if I remember that correctly) and that’s something what immediately puts me in the right (blasphemous) mood for “Applause (JHVH Elohim Met)”. I mean you just know from the start that it will be something totally sacrilegious, relentless and brutal as fuck. And yeah, reading the lyrics is another strong antichristian experience. And music is fast and brutal! Oh man, this is what I call a persistent riff slaughter and pure death metal massacre. There’s no bullshit and time wasting, and no enemies and prisoners shall be spared, while the album lasts. If you feel week and not strong enough, then the amount of negative emotions and brutality will simply smash you on the wall. Yeah, so powerful “Applause (JHVH Elohim Met)” is.
The album is great. Most of the times Eclypse plays as fast as it is physically possible and style wise I think I should bring here such names as early Deicide, Vital Remains, Immolation, Azarath, Krisiun and Rebaelliun. Put all those bands together, add some characteristic Polish style and you’ll get “Applause (JHVH Elohim Met)”. It is fuckin intense, right from the beginning, but luckily Eclypse never bores and within the whole 35 minutes they make sure that you can find here also some more diverse parts. And so while “New Fuhrer” is just insanely fast and breaks all the speed limits, then such track as “Dyskrasia” is more into the atmospheric (in the death metal sense at least), rhythmical, almost possessing playing of Immolation. Well, “Procession of Blind”, which is quite fast all the way through, also sounds very Immolation-eqsue, but the effect is just killer and it’s one of the best tracks from the album, for me the riffing in it just rules supreme. But most of the songs are just like that – they combine both styles of playing (fast and mid paced) and as the result it is just a total devastation. I really like the way Eclypse arranged their songs and the riffing they have here – as such the whole CD seems to be carefully composed and the band must have been really picky about the riffs and arrangements they’ve used in it. Even Samael’s “After the Sepulture” has been speeded a bit, especially in the opening theme, but as overall Eclypse managed to keep the main atmosphere of the original intact, while adding something from their style, which is great and I must say I really liked this cover.
Anyway, it may sound weird, but as much as I like Eclypse playing fast, I preferred their slower bits most. Like in the opening song, “Apostasy”, well it is great and one of the best tracks on the album, as a whole it is very varied and has many riffs and tempo changes, but the slower parts in it are the best ones I think. They sound really heavy and have great vibe, the mood gets also more eerie and sinister, which is also a strong point for me, especially for the old Immolation fan. Ha, yeah, again I have used this comparison to Immolation, but it must be said that while in the beginning of this review I mentioned few bands, which Eclypse may have been taking influences from, it is Immolation, which is the closest and whose impact seems to be the biggest. What is nothing to be ashamed of, as it is great band and “Applause (JHVH Elohim Met)” also turned out to be a good album. It’s definitely well worth having, especially for such a quality music for such a small price.
Standout tracks: “Apostasy”, “Procession of Blind”, “Dyskrasia”, “New Fuhrer”
Final rate: 80/100

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