Eternity Revealed

Incorporating throwback, seventies-style production (for that primo Sabbath vibe), well-thought out songwriting and a propensity for making the most of upfront, blues-rock thunder, Pale Divine conjures up a noteworthy display of doom on “Eternity Revealed.”

Frontman Greg Diener handles both the guitar and vocal duties for this trio, spitting out bluesy metal licks that a particularly foreboding atmosphere. As a vocalist, Diener has a nice range and puts a bit of balls into his talented, melodic vocalizations, especially during the bridge “Sins Of The Fallen” which turns from shimmering chords and rolling polyrhythms to a dirty black death march that will satisfy fans of Danzig and Trouble alike. When the band really throws it down during the track’s solo section, present-day Corrosion Of Conformity springs to mind as a point of reference. The loose, wah-fueled jam that ensues shows that above all, Pale Divine knows how to get deeply into a bottom-heavy jam without becoming stuck in the mud.

A similar doom grunge is distinctive during the track ‘Martyrdom’, as bassist Jim Corl and drummer Darin McCloskey team up for a Zeppelin-inspired backbeat and Diener lets a fretboard-torching solo loose. During other standouts like ‘Crimson Tears’ and ‘Serpents Path’, Pale Divine strives toward an apocalyptic sort of rock that is unpolished and unforgiving. A gloomy, quite competent rendition of Candlemass’ ‘Solitude’ shows this band is not afraid to wear its influences on its sleeve. As a bluesy jam with an almost Hendrix-like solo leads to a flurry of arpeggios over top the famous dirge on the track’s main riff, Diener truly shines as a guitarist. As the verse reprises, the roots of this group’s influence grows to be even more apparent.

Although this band may just get lumped in with the sea of so-called “stoner” acts on the scene today, such a tag might be a disservice as the majority of the music made by Pale Divine is decidedly more metal than most who wear that mark. The band redirects Sabbath sounds into a new realm focused on shredding jam sequences (at times, Diener’s axework is not far removed from that of Ted Nugent in his glory days) and roaring, fuzzy melodies that are choice enough to satisfy any fan of Cathedral, St. Vitus, Kinghorse, and any of the bands mentioned above.

You want riffs? You want metal so laden with crawling, filthy grooves it almost slithers out of your speakers? How about trippy wah-ridden soloing? A thick, somewhat raw and above all HEAVY production with warmth and character? Pale Divine's second album, Eternity Revealed, gives you all of this in spades.

This is 70's doom in a nutshell, bowing down low before the altar of fantastic bands such as Pentagram or the immortal Black Sabbath. As such, it is the monstrously heavy riffs of Doom that dominate the soundscape. Often somewhat melodic (though not in an Iron Maiden way) as well as powerful, catchy and with a unique flavour I've not heard elsewhere, they are played with excellent technical proficiency and rhythmic drive. The clean vocal work that overlays this sludgy riffathon is deep, sonorous and atmospheric; whilst vocalist/guitarist Greg Diener is not even close to the sublime technical ability of singers such as Halford or Dickinson, he still gives the proceedings a sense of melody and a touch of mystical grandeur.

For this release Pale Divine have taken down a notch the psychadelic elments that could be heard throughout 'Thunder Perfect Mind', focusing more on the metal aspect of their character. Still, a hint of 60's/70's space-rock remains in the meandering, wah-drenched guitar soloing and the similarly wandering riffage. This slight alignment change can also be heard in the production, which is both very metal and very 1975; thick, tube-stack distorted guitar takes the foreground, with the dry and loose drumwork providing rhythmic emphasis underneath - all the instruments posessing a warm, old-school sound.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this album to anyone who appreciates 70's proto metal, and indeed to anyone who wants some powerful and unique riffwork in their metal collection.