The Last Hangmen – Servants of Justice

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Servants of Justice starts off with a big, hall-filling introduction track that suggests whatever is coming next is going to sound just like Dimmu Borgir, and as first song proper Lupara Bianga bursts into being, one wouldn’t be entirely disappointed at the ensuing blastbeats. The Last Hangmen are a melodic death metal band, but clearly they are more than happy to bring in influences from the symphonic and melodic black metal scene as well. Happy enough, in fact, to bring in the always dependable V Santura (Dark Fortress, as well as producer of Thulcandra‘s latest album) to give it that extra touch. The result is an album that is just as much Dissection as it is At The Gates, the chilling atmosphere of black metal but still all the dual-guitar technicality of the melodeath genre. Servants of Justice is consistently good material-wise, with some good riffs here and there, atypically bruising rhythms and a generally solid vocal performance from singer Pether. Some of the lyrics are a bit eye-rolling in their overt and less than poetic wording, but that is par for the course with both black and death sometimes. Overall, it doesn’t quite hit the dizzying heights of their influences, but for a debut record it shows an awful lot of promise, having a tight recording and crossing the line between melodeath and melodic black with ease.

Written by James Donovan
More: 2011, Albums, Black Metal, Quick.Play Reviews, The Last Hangmen