CoC : God - From the Moldavian Ecclesiastic Throne : Review

God - _From the Moldavian Ecclesiastic Throne_
(Bestial, 1997)
by: Brian Meloon (8 out of 10)

God hail from Romania and play melodic doom, along the lines of Tiamat and Paradise Lost, but I find them more interesting than either of those two bands. Although their music is slow-to-mid paced, it changes regularly enough to avoid the plodding monotony trap that doom bands can fall into. Their base style is melodic doom, with some sections that resemble Viking metal. The contrast between the two styles is interesting, and not really as jarring as you might think; they make it sound like a pretty natural fit. The vocals help to smooth out the contrast, as they are either grunted, rasped or sung in the "goofy" style that is common in Viking metal. Each of these styles is used throughout the disc, helping to unify it. The keyboards are used to good effect, typically acting as an equal partner to the guitars. God's lineup includes a full-time viola player, who really adds to the atmosphere the band creates. The playing is very good, and the production is top-notch. Overall, they're very impressive for the style that they play: it's nothing that hasn't been done before, but the arrangement and development are first-class. If nothing else, it's high quality material, and deserving attention from fans of melodic doom.

(article published 19/11/1998)

ALBUMS
9/1/2007	Q Kalis	7	God - Hell and Heaven
14/3/1999	B Meloon	8	God - Sublime