  
Napalm/Sound Pollution
Anglo-Swedish band THE ORDER OF ISRAFEL boosts Tom Sutton of CHURCH OF MISERY, VIPER and ex.FIREBIRD fame on guitars and vocals. Otherwise it´s a Gothenburg affair consisting of Patrik Andersson Winberg, bass, Staffan Björck, guitars, and Hans Lilja, drums. Apparently they are not a band of youth and I think it´s great to see a record company go for a more experienced band. This is their first release and they seem to opt for a sound involving influences of Swedish doom giants CANDLEMASS.
The title track, however, is more SABBATH-ical and also shows signs of US doom. It´s quite lengthy but still most entertaining as there are a couple of pace changes and a very atmospheric middle section. Next up is “On the Black Wings, a Demon”, which reminds me of quite a few NWOBHM bands. A bit of a personal favourite! After a very strong opening they never quite return to that exceptional form, not to my ears. But with the exception of the overly lengthy “Promises Made to the Earth” and the spoken words infestered “The Vow” this is a strong debut. They manage to get the SABBATH groove right almost in every song and add to it with a bat wing soup of US doom. The slow pace and monotony is at the same time an ordeal in some passages but most disturbing is the lack of CANDLEMASS. I mean that particular road to fame is pretty vacant as the remaining band lays low and MESSIAH has yet to show original material. THE ORDER OF ISRAFEL chooses a different path but I still think they will make it. Just try and keep off the worst excesses in playing time...
Track List
Wisdom
The Black Wings, a Demon
The Noctuus
The Earth Will Deliver What Heaven Desires
The Order
Born for War
Promises Made by the Earth
The Vow
Morning Sun (Satanas)
www.napalmrecords.com www.theorderofisrafel.com
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