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Buried God > Dark Revelation > Reviews
Buried God - Dark Revelation

Thuringian thrash metal - 76%

Lane, March 12th, 2017
Written based on this version: 2003, CD, Merciless Records

For once, the marketing text for this release is actually true or at least pretty close to it. "The dark sinister face of traditional thrash metal!" This actually sounds like it came from the late 1980s or the early 1990s. Anyway, German (from Thuringia region) band Buried God released only one full length album during their existence. The album, 'Dark Revelation', came out in 2003. In 2004, they decided to split up, because they couldn't find a suitable drummer. A fucking voluminous SHAME!!! What the hell am I whining for, they are gone and that's it! I think it is better not to have another metal album with a drums machine ruining everything.

Words "German", "traditional" and "thrash" surely invoke some names in your brains, right?! Kreator, Destruction, Sodom... Surely, but I have to say, that Buried God did not sound like a counterpart of those stalwarts, at least not on 'Dark Revelation'. Maybe here and there, but Buried God boosted up their offensive thrash with death metal elements as well as with traditional heavy metal stuff. The band knew how to handle dark, evil melodies without getting into "bogeyman" territory. Sometimes, authentic thrash attacks are suddenly followed by twin guitar harmonies, like during the band's title song. 'Hunger' is Griffin (US) cover and a very energetic it is, too. Nicely "modernised", so to speak. Drumming is more brutal than usually on a thrash metal platter, being the strongest, albeit not the sole death metal factor. Double kick drums firing away a lot, but expect a lot of different arsenal! And hey, that clearly was a pagan metal riff there... A metal head like me, who's digging a bit of every kind of metal, can't but enjoy this mixture.

I have to say, that also the guitar and the bass are played skilfully, yet everything is raw as it should be. No sloppiness to be heard here. Guitar solos can be warp speed, but also memorable. The sound is raw and atmosphere is also added with slight reverb, but all the instruments are well discernable. Vocals are a tad powerless, even though there's really anything from black metal shrieks to growl and from spoken words to shouting and gang vocals. But the main style, grunt/growl, feels a bit lame. Maybe I should blame the general energy level of the music and performance, so I think the issue with the vocals is a minor one. Lyrics are good at times, and there's some variety in them too, as they include mythological themes (my faves!) and real life based stuff.

'Dark Revelation' is a revelation indeed. One great platter of dark thrash metal boosted up with various metal music elements. There is nothing modern here, but still it all feels kind of fresh. Might sound old, but also offers a big array of thrills. At least this sole full length album from Buried God should be filed under "must check out" by every single thrash-head. This is METAL. Well, Thuringia region is known for its long mining traditions... Buried? Sadly. Gods? Not really, they weren't quite pioneers, heh.

(Originally written for ArchaicMetallurgy.com in 2008)

Callow - 67%

Felix 1666, March 25th, 2016
Written based on this version: 2003, CD, Merciless Records

The only full-length of Buried God gathered dust on the shelf until I felt the incomprehensible urge to write a review for this single child. The German band played thrash metal of the generic type. The better known guys of Witchburner prefer a comparable style and serve as a point of reference. Unfortunately, the here presented dudes were not the most skilful songwriters. The compositions did not lack of energy, but catchiness was written in very small letters. I am sorry, but the feeling of immaturity was omnipresent and the songs failed to develop their own identities.

The general formula of the band combined slightly hectic parts with mid-paced sections. Unfortunately, this mixture did not create sustainable melodies. Although the Thuringians could not be blamed for making serious mistakes, "Dark Revelation" left me cold. Sometimes the band adopted leads and riffs that had been heard before. For example, they seemed to be inspired by some tracks of the first albums of Kreator. Of course, that was not a serious crime. There were and still are more musicians who cannot conceal the influence of the German institution. But the guys of Buried God were furthermore not immune against comparatively amateurish leads and this vulnerability affected the overall impression of the full-length. The same applied for the pretty ordinary vocals of Jens Halter. He did not celebrate a feast of monotony, but a talented singer sounds better. It is perhaps no coincidence that the only instrumental belonged to the better tracks due to the fact that the guitars got more attention.

However, too many parts put the focus on pure speed while neglecting a connecting motif. For example, the ultra-fast parts of "Eyes of the Gorgon" appeared as foreign bodies. That was a shame in view of the actually solid composition. Anyway, it came as no surprise that the best song of the album was not written by the band itself. Buried God's harsh interpretation of Griffin's "Hunger" relied on the fantastic fundament of the original and it was therefore a great joy to listen to this song. Nevertheless, it could not be ignored that the more or less mediocre vocal performance was miles away from that of William McKay. To top it off, the entire album lacked of charisma. Any kind of magic was missing. Well, the production was free from serious defects, but who listens to an album just because of its sound? Irrespective of this rhetorical question, Buried God's album has fallen into oblivion. I don't want to debase the technical skills of the three musicians, but it is a fact that this callow output was not able to withstand the competition.