By: Anders

Posted: Aug 25, 2005

To get things clear from the start, I've been a fan of Divine Empire since the debut album "Redemption", an album which I still find to be the best and most direct effort from the band. I am of course a big fan of Malevolent Creation, so Divine Empire did of course take me by storm.

As you might be able to read out of the first paragraph, Divine Empire is somewhat in the same lane as Malevolent Creation, or at least was. Not that strange when thinking of that the first incantation of Divine Empire, was the line up from Malevolent Creation's "In Cold Blood" minus Phil Fasciana. A lot of things have happened during the years, and the band has moved from a straight ahead brutal death metal band, to a band with many elements. The straight ahead brutalism is the main base of Divine Empire, but technical parts, classical guitars and weird twists are also a part of the game nowadays.

The song writing on the album is great. The tunes are very catchy and contain good hooks, but are still very fast and brutal. The paces are well varied, and the use of blasts and grooves are well-weighed. The riffs are great and punishing, ripping and slaying, it is hard to find them better and more classical within the death metal genre. The leads and blistering solo work are great as well. The drumming is thundering, brutal, hard hitting, straight in your face and still very varied and out of the ordinary. The bass is placed greatly in the mix and the rumbling strings can be heard all the way through. The bass play is very well executed and doesn't leave many wishes behind. The growls are brutal, deep and evil, so much hatred is spewed forth.

It is a really good album that Jason Blachowicz, John Paul Soars and Duane Timlin have made here. They have composed some really good tunes and performs them even better. I can't remember to have been this impressed and quickly carried away, since the early Malevolent Creation albums. Divine Empire does still have something in common with the mentioned band, but has for sure developed their own identity, and has taken their death metal to another and higher level.

Too bad that the band more or less split up after this release, Blachowicz, the mainman behind Divine Empire is now the only member left from this album, and Soars and Timlin have made the new band Thy Divine Empire. Though that doesn't move the fact, that this album is one of the strongest and most lasting death metal albums of 2005 so far. And I'm pretty sure that this album still will be remembered in 10 years, if it hasn’t marked itself as a classic by then. There are many classical death metal moments on the album, but Divine Empire take it a step further with their additions and arrangements, plus the pure energy they deliver. This is a sure buy if you're into death metal, and the last track, the instrumental 'Reduced To Ashes', divine!

Rating: 9,5/10

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