| CD REVIEW Escutcheon |
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Band: Escutcheon The Dutch formation Escutcheon was formed in 1996. After two well received demo tapes at the end of the nineties, the band recorded a debut album, called Unexplained Deep Space Phenomenon, which was strongly inspired by the so-called Goteborg-style. After promoting this studio record and having toured with bands as Altar, Pleurisy and Pungent Stench, the activities were put on hold for a while. Finally, in 2007, the band reformed and soon the band started writing new material. Last year, the quintet, among which (former) members of Devious, Cromm Cruac and Pulverizer, entered the The Crown Studio with Michiel Toenink, and recently the band got signed to the Dutch label Deity Down. The first result of this collaboration is called Battle Order, which lasts for 46:22 minutes. Still Escutcheon’s main source of inspiration is the Swedish scene anno early nineties, but this time the whole is much more convincing and less ‘just playing the Swedish way’. Escutcheon bring an own interpretation of At The Gates, Eucharist or Dissection, yet also Amon Amarth, Unleashed, Dismember and Runemagick come to mind. The tempo is mainly fast and gives a brutal touch, yet at the same time the hymns are very melodic and atmospheric. The variation (e.g. (semi-) acoustic intermezzos, tempo-changes etc) is another explicit progression in comparison with the debut. 2009 has just begun, yet one of the Death Metal highlights is known already! 86/100 Ivan Tibos. |