Pale Divine “Cemetery Earth” CD

Another recent release from I Hate, "Cemetery Earth" is the third full-length from Pennsylvania's Pale Divine, though I believe this is the first time I've ever heard 'em. The label "describes" their style as being "steeped in a Pentagram mold under the influence of The Obsessed Witchfinder General and consecrated at Candlemass through Sabbathic sermons held by the Judas Priest and the Saint Vitus up the tower of Ungol", which offers far more loose comparisons than I ever could being just a cursory fan of this particular niche, so... that should at least give you some indication of what to expect here. What first struck me about this album in particular is the weird guitar tone that's very textured, but not particularly "heavy"—which lends plenty of breathing room to the mix and really allows the rhythm section to shine, which is awesome, but it definitely takes some getting used to. I'd honestly like to hear a hint more attack in the guitar distortion, but it's not really a big deal. The already killer solos sound fuckin' great, and the songwriting's pretty damn solid throughout, so... I can certainly live with it. In addition to the solos, I also really like the vocals, which aren't strained at all and possess just the right amount of throaty texture and melody to catch your attention. I don't know, they've just got a great vibe that really works well with this style of metal. Most of the tracks are five to six minutes apiece, with a few stretching to eight or 10+, so I can get a little winded during the hour-long listen since the majority of the pacing is relatively steady, but there are a few slightly more energetic bursts, and as mentioned the solos are pretty slick, so such elements do help to carry the weight more often than not. Oh, and the cover looks fuckin' awesome, too. Not too shabby...

Pale Divine "The Eyes of Destiny"
Pale Divine "The Seventh Circle"

Be sure to buy it if you dig the tunes:

The End Records