CoC : Lycanthropic - Obey the Moon : Review

Lycanthropic - _Obey the Moon_
(1998, 1998)
by: Paul Schwarz (7 out of 10)

"Christian, I have no choice but to kill you." It sounds like a line from a Marduk or Deicide album, doesn't it? It in fact issues forth from the collective lyrical mouth of Milwaukee's own Lycanthropic, who are the subject of this review. Though Christian-bashing, seemingly in both senses of the word, appears to be on Lycanthropic's agenda, their attack is neither in the style of the American brutal death trappings of Deicide or the blast-snare black metal of Marduk. Instead, Lycanthropic have chosen a sound similar to Centinex or Amon Amarth: melodic-yet-brutal Swedish death. Their greatest asset at present in preaching their word lies in their vocalist, whose powerful throat assures that _Obey the Moon_ has a well rounded attack as opposed to an over emphasis on non-vocal instruments, as some other albums of this kind tend towards. Overall, the band play their chosen style pretty well on this demo-to-CD, with nice leads and riffs (the most interesting being the irregular and unpredictable strumming of a single chord). It's let down in points by a production with a small range, but hey, it's a demo recording.

(article published 1/10/1998)