CoC : Seth - Era Decay : Review

Seth - _Era Decay_
(Avantgarde, 2004)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10)

While I've been aware of Seth's existence for a number of years and heard several of their albums, I've never been truly engrossed by any of their releases. _Era Decay_ is the album that changes this trend, whether purely by merit or partially by chance; either way, this time around their mix of aggression with interesting melodic twists has succeeded in capturing my attention well beyond reviewing duties. Perhaps the key to its success lies in the way this French outfit have utilized their melodies: often understated guitar lines or distant chord strumming is all it takes to carry them, allowing their tightly controlled aggression to keep driving the music. Seth's futuristic black metal is very well polished both technically and production-wise, as you may already have guessed, and tasteful guitar solos are also to be found. Their more aggressive side, while quite dynamic, is good, but not especially remarkable; it is mainly the aforementioned subtle melodic trickery that truly elevates _Era Decay_ to something well worth your time. Seth also play around with some electronic touches for atmosphere, and fortunately they don't get in the way of the songs. In fact, most of the breaks and elements in the album work well together and provide some welcome variety throughout. Not one for the black metal purists for sure, but definitely a good and rather distinctive album.

Contact: http://www.innomineseth.com

(article published 31/8/2004)

CHATS
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