PALE DIVINE's sixth album "Consequence of Time," is a blast from beginning to end.  The band plays a more traditional style of doom metal but what makes the album so great is how they take their influences, the various styles contained because of those influences, and wear them on their sleeves without sounding like a copy at at all.  When I listen to this album, I get a huge DIO vibe and they also sound like DEEP PURPLE, if that band was ten times heavier.  But they have a sort of occult feel to it, nothing too dark but it is dancing on the edge of strangeness and darkness—just like BLUE OYSTER CULT.

But across the eight tracks of this 42 minute long album, I hear a band that definitely has their own sound and they bring along with it a doom album that gets out of its own way to do what the genre should do in the first place: rock my face off by throwing riffs upon riffs at it while being bolstered by stunning song writing. If you worship the riff, if the guitar is your favorite thing about doom or metal in general, then "Consequence of Time," might just become your go to album; Greg and Dana are riff machines. There are not any symphonics, overly long songs, ambient passages or anything that takes the focus off what makes the album so freakin' easy to like: four guys playing straight up, high energy doom with some strong 70's hard rock/metal influences.

I don't want to spend too much time on the guitar and discount the other performances.  Vocally, the album is slick as hell.  PALE DIVINE has two vocalists, who are also the guitarists, and both bring their own style and dimension to the band's songs.  It is interesting because while each person gives their own flavor, the songs never get off point or go off a path they don't need to.  In essence, this is a very focused album despite the varied musical styles and vocal patterns presented. And what doom album would be worth a listen without a strong rhythm section?  "Consequence of Time," needs not worry for bassist Ron McGinnis and drummer Darin McCloskey are as tight any other I've heard this.  Ron's never falters, whether he is boosting the power of the guitars or working with Darin to keep the songs flowing smoothly.  Darin himself throws it all in, a performance that commands its own presence but compliments the very nature of the songs.

The opening track "Tyrants and Pawns," is a banger.  It wastes no time by settling in with a strong riffs, up front bass, and commanding drums.  Short but sweet guitar leads slide in and out of the riffs between the versus, of which the expressive clean vocals lead the way.  The bass during the songs last minutes is explosive and the snare bangs with a fury to end the song on a high note. "Shadow's Own," shows this style doesn't have to use longer song structures to get the point across.  Just listen to those riffs, wow!  The bass is another standout, driving home a hard punch alongside the drums that are quick, crisp, and hammered in with just the right momentum.  This is the shortest song on the album but also one of the best.

The album's halfway point is another highlight in the form of "Phantasmagoria."  The beginnings are melodic but slowly let that bass build up while the song ramps up the heavy factor.  Around the two minute mark, the bass and guitars join as one for double header of heaviness while the guitar solo shines through it all.  This combination happens again after the four minute mark and the rhythm is so so heavy that it almost can't be quantified.  And how about that solo?  So emotional yet adventurous. Ah yes, up next we have the epic title track, "Consequence Of Time."  This one is over ten minutes in length but it blows by so quick that I found myself hitting that repeat button more often than not. The first half is a slow to mid paced dirge and the latter half speeds things up a bit.  I found it to be a very clever song to so effectively meld two very different feels into one cohesive force.

The last track, "Saints of Fire," is also one of the best songs.  The main riffs is heavy, catchy, and memorable.  The vocal patterns follow suite for their own memorable performance.  This song just has such a classic feel to it, that even if you haven't heard it before, you feel instantly comfortable with it.  Hell, that describes the whole album. Ultimately, PALE DIVINE's "Consequence Of Time," is a stunning doom/heavy metal album that bridges that gap between old school and modern twists on the genres.  Highly recommended to doom fans and metal fans who have a hard time getting into the more extreme elements of the genre.