Sunday, June 30, 2013

DEA MARICA "The Curse Of The Haunted"(Album review) : Hades I'm sure must be missing a demon...

...for he's currently playing Doom Metal in an english band. Type O Negative joke aside, here's a record I've been expecting since the previous one came into my ears.

Less than a year ago, I was writing on this very website the expectations I had for Dea Marica's second release. And so it came to me, one evening, not bumping at my window but simply through a bunch of MP3. Which is damn sure less gothic than a raven saying endlessly 'Nevermore !', but is still as good when it comes to the feeling I got when listening to it.

Those who have been enthralled by the band's 2012 release 'Ritual Of The Banished' won't be lost here : it's still the same mix of classic Doom and Doom/Death, both with the same roots than the music played in their brother-band Gallow God and yet with a result somewhat different. In some way, I can say that dea marica is the melodic side of Gallow God. Both bands complement each other well, musically speaking.

'The Curse Of The Haunted' follows the same course than 'Ritual Of The Banished' : it's still melodic and epic as Candlemass was in their Marcollin era, and it's still more gothic and gloomy than the Père Lachaise cemetary on a cold november day. In fact, both albums are so similar when it comes to the interpretation that some will think that 'Curse' is more an add-on to 'Ritual' than a follow-up. This is far from being the case, as you can spot more than once some small differences. There are few, and there are well hidden, but they show a maturity that was somewhat missing in 'Ritual'. It's especially true when it comes to the longer songs, that actually never sounds dull or boring at any time. In some way, you could see the shadows of the mighty Godsend (from Sweden, and none other!!) looming from time to time over this album : be it the use of both clean vocals and growls, the funeral pace of the drums that is not afraid to speed a bit once in a while, or the crushing  guitar riffs that also know how to sooth your soul with some melodies.

It's pretty difficult to advocate for an album when, in the whole, it sounds so close to the previous one . But If I had to choose between both, my preference would go to 'The Curse Of The Haunted' : it got exactly what made 'Ritual Of The banished' so good, except it's just better written and played. If you didn't knew Dea Marica before that, here's your chance to correct that mistake.


Laurent Lignon



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