Xerath – II

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Candlelight Records
Produced by Jacob Hansen

The combination of symphony and metal is most certainly not anything new, with symphonic metal having become a major and prolific sub-genre within power, goth and black metal, and even having a noticeable movement within the death metal genre. So when Xerath set out to make something new and interesting just from mixing metal and film score styles, you wouldn’t be alone in being a bit skeptical.

However Xerath have certainly proven to be a unique and intriguing beast, not having much in the way of similarities with bands from any of the existing symphonic sub-genres. At best, their music could be described as symphonic progressive extreme metal, though that’s perhaps too long and too broad a term to really define anything. The band’s first album, imaginatively titled I hinted at some potential but didn’t quite deliver on the band’s promise of epic, post-apocalyptic extreme metal, sounding just slightly flat and a little repetitive. Like any progressive metal band worth its salt though, Xerath have majorly stepped up their game for album number two – surprisingly called II.

The band have ramped up the keyboards to inject a stronger symphonic background, supplying a much more cinematic listening experience that suitably reflects the band’s dark lyrical subject matter (the lyrics aren’t always entirely clear, but what can be easily made out is significantly devastating and bleak, but with song titles like Nuclear Self Eradication and Enemy Incited Armageddon this is to be expected). The easiest and most obvious comparison in this style is Dimmu Borgir – though the sound of both bands are distinctly different, despite some slight similarities.

The two much more apparent influences are Meshuggah and Strapping Young Lad, especially in the band’s very modern, technical guitar sound and their infectious and unexpected grooves (particularly evident on mid-track Machine Insurgency). The vocals are also rather Devin Townsend-like, at least when the singer is screaming, a noteworthy change since the band’s debut. Like Townsend, vocalist Richard Thomson has a sheer wealth of styles that he excels at, using both the aforementioned scream, a more death metal grunt and even straight up singing at times. This gives the band a distinct feeling of change throughout the album, even beyond the high calibre of song writing on display.

That’s perhaps the strongest and most significant change between I and II. Whilst I was good, it did quite often feel like it was stuck doing the same thing, a somewhat static record despite some good ideas. II on the other hand reveals a plethora of ideas, forming a record that retains an identity throughout, but shifts and changes during its course. All the while, the music itself retains a certain accessibility – at least as accessible as extreme metal tends to be – never feeling pretentious or overburdening. Xerath are most certainly highly progressive, but not to the point that their music can’t simply be enjoyed for what it is. The band’s riffs, grooves and atmosphere should be appealing to all those that simply enjoy well-played and well-produced extreme metal.

With II, Xerath have really stepped forwards, producing an interesting, creative and powerful sophomore effort. If this is the kind of growth we can expect from them in the future, then the inevitable III will be hotly anticipated indeed.

“ Xerath have majorly stepped up their game ”

Tracklist: Unite To Defy / God of The Frontlines / Reform Pt. III / The Call To Arms / Machine Insurgency / Sworn To Sacrifice / Enemy Incited Armageddon / Nuclear Self Eradication / Numbered Among The Dead / The Glorious Death

Written by James Donovan
More: 2011, Albums, Death Metal, Xerath