RSS Feed


LORDS OF THE CEMETERY
Luminous Gate

Self-released (2022)
Rating: 9/10

Here’s the third full-length outing from French clan Lords Of The Cemetery. It’s been almost four years since the last record, but it was well worth the wait.

The duo of Christophe Florian Lcf (vocals, guitars and keyboards) and Cadaver (aka Reno Cavadaski, drums) dabble in surprisingly melodic yet at times unpredictable metal. To simply call it death metal would be unfair as these guys drift so effortlessly between thrash delights, black / death and occasional yet thorny doomy dissonance. The sound is also sporadically laced with traditional metal where the pace gallops with a nice tone, but there’s also a cutting air of menace too.

Opener ‘Seeds Of Hate’ hints at Hellhammer tone-wise, but then slips into a black / death lashing with a whipping axe tone and those whispered snarls. There’s nothing overly dense or gloomy about the sound of this band where the songs feel short and sharp, but there’s always a twist and turn behind the cloak of darkness.

Sombre passages entwine with heavier crescendos, and black flashes of steel fuse with Celtic Frost-style trudges, especially as ‘When A King Burns A Master’ begins. However, the pace soon quickens and we are off headlong again into that icy flurry.

The militant march of ‘Ouroboros’ ups the mysticism as a classic metal chug unravels and again I’m in awe of that sinister guitar tone. I love the strangeness of it all as the guys drift through seemingly simplistic segments with an air of menacing grace, but there’s also something forebodingly unorthodox and, dare I say it, progressive about the soul of this thing.

The title track is cold black death with a foundation of razor sharp axe work and stabbing percussion, where the slower passages are murky, sinister and enchantingly organic. ‘The Gloomy Seer’ is equally visionary and sparse, while the shorter numbers like ‘Throne Of The Ocean’ and ‘Return Of The Witch Lord’ provide grim yet magical insight into the psyche of these talented individuals.

Forget all the fuss about acts such as Devil Master as there’s so much more to be entranced by here. ‘Throne…’ is mesmerically epic, a staggering tapestry of evil unfolding, while ‘Return…’ employs excellent atmosphere alongside the majestic melancholy.

Each track draws you in like the clawing branches of a reaching ancient forest before revealing that luminous gate within its depths. However, there is so much mystery here to the point of never quite knowing what power is responsible for such an engaging cacophony.

Neil Arnold

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share