Today we will be discussing a genre that I'm just getting more into over the last few months, Black Metal. Well, not just Black Metal, but also what it becomes when you mix it with Doom, Thrash, Death, and other assorted influences. EVANGELION is the band in question, and is also the name of their mastermind, as EVANGELION writes, arranges, and does all of the lyric writing for his namesake project. The newest album, "Revelations, or the Spawn of Greed and War,"  came out December 24th, 2021 via Auric Records.

I love the doom genre and am so happy to see it influencing so many artists from differing backgrounds, who are taking it and creating something new and interesting from it. EVANGELION is one band expanding on Doom, using Black Metal influences to add an edge while still creating epic Doom Metal songs.

The best, and my favorite, track on this album is "A King's Dream". This one has traditional doom riffs, haunting keyboard parts, and also has the best vocal performances of any of the 9 songs here; those vocals are diverse in style going from black to death to doom, and back again with ease and precision. There isn't a bad part on this incredible track!

The very next song is called "The Deathsman", which I would consider the exact opposite of "A King's Dream"; this one is set up favoring the blacker Metal side of Evangelion, while the doom takes more of a back seat. This is not to criticize either, as I like the opposing results, and how they both end up exhibiting massive power while coming from seemingly different places. There is also an almost spoken word section about halfway through, and it adds in some very nice dynamics that break up the heavy perfectly.

The second to last track is called "As the Soldiers Leave the Battlefield" and is my second favorite song on this release. EVANGELION gives us a doomy track that incorporates traditional Metal, Black Metal and Doom flavored vocals, and memorable riffs. The mid-section to the end of the song is more on the mellow side; epic sounding and gives you a medieval film soundtrack type of feel.

Other standout tracks include, "The Reign of the Prophets" and "Of Mercenaries and Marauders".

If I were you guys, I'd head out to check out EVANGELION. The way these songs are put together is phenomenal, and the musicianship is exceptional as well.