Grethor – Cloaked In Decay
Grethor is a Black/ Death Metal band founded in 2007 in Northern Virginia. In 2015 the band has released their latest EP titled “Cloaked In Decay”. As explained by the band, the EP’s lyrics are inspired by the 1895 novel “The King in Yellow” by Robert W. Chambers: a series of short stories, of which four of them are about the eponymous forbidden play that spurs despair and insanity to those who read it. Cloaked In Decay also warns of the ills of religion, man’s existential crises and cosmic horror. All sounds very interesting to me.
Citing as influences bands such as Cryptopsy, Deathspell Omega, Gorguts and Triptykon, among many others, I was excited to get to know what this band has to offer. I admit that this is my first experience with Grethor. By the way, its name is a Star Trek reference, derived from the Klingon’s version of hell, yeah, that was taken from metal-archives, of course, got to do out researches, don’t we? In theory, it all made me believe that I would “encounter” something that I’d find highly interesting, but, as most of us, I’ve been fooled before.
Well, but not with Grethor. What is presented to us in “Cloaked In Decay” is a diverse work, intriguing and unique. The music is highly experimental, but not to the point that it just turns out into a mess. They don’t just simply limit themselves in one or two genres, but rather flirt with Black, Death, Doom, Avant-garde, but crafted with care and perception. It is also aggressive, dirty and filthy. You can sense an atmosphere of decay and malevolence that is indeed quite impressive! The vocals are very extreme and high pitched, different from most Black Metal bands and I say this because they resemble more of this genre. The instruments, while creating an utmost violent aura, at times are also atmospheric and ethereal.
When it comes to the production of the EP, I think that it’s a fine work, not being too clean or too dirty, fitting well the musical goals of the band. All in all, I really enjoyed this material for its singularity, boldness and creativity. So, my dear friends, I invite you all to listen to Grethor’s music at their official Bandcamp page and if you happen to like what you heard, please, support and or promote them in any way that is possible for you.
Promo kindly provided by FullBlast!PR.
Have a good day.
Grade: 9,0/10
Band: Grethor
Album: Cloaked In Decay (EP – 2015)
Label: Independent
Tracklist:
- Wraith
- Misery of Ignorance
- Somnia Malum Infinitum
- Hemispheres Decaying
- Organic Tomb
- Monody for Artemis 2015
Grethor is:
Marcus Lawrence – Vocals
Anthony Rouse – Drums
Nick Rothe – Bass
Brian Frost – Guitars
Michael Lewis – Guitars (rhythm)
Official Bandcamp: https://grethor.bandcamp.com
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grethorofficial
All photos belong to their rightful owners.
May 2, 2015