CoC : Paths of Possession - The End of the Hour : Review

Paths of Possession - _The End of the Hour_
(Metal Blade, 2007)
by: Jackie Smit (8 out of 10)

Considering the sheer volume of bands who follow a similar raison d'être, you'd be forgiven for wanting to roll your eyes at the mention of Paths of Possession. Sure the presence of Cannibal Corpse's George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher lends a certain level of star-power, but ultimately this is a band who appear to exist for little other reason than to indulge its members' urge to bask in the legacy of Kreator, Iron Maiden and Sodom, among the line-up of usual suspects. That they pull it off here with the same level of class that they've been able to display on previous endeavours can be chalked up to the fact that as a unit they appear to know their way around the art of songwriting; far more so than the vast majority of their peers. As such, a track like "Memory Burn" is able to elevate itself from a goggle-eyed tribute to being a prime slab of melodic death metal, despite doing little to mask its rather obvious influences. Likewise, "The Ancient Law", while literally tattooed with the vintage vehemence of _Coma of Souls_, comes across as blistering rather than banal. Eric Rutan's sterling production doesn't hurt either, nor Fisher's reliably visceral performance, and although _The End of the Hour_ can't always sustain the same glorious peak that it does on "Poisoned Promise Land", it delivers consistent neck-torturing thrills in no small measure.

(article published 21/11/2007)

ALBUMS
19/9/2005	J Smit	8	Paths of Possession - Promises in Blood