Pale Divine - Cemetary Earth

Again Pale Divine delivers us a fine work of art. For all those who thought the 70s psychedelic rock and the proto doom had vanished, you were wrong. Pale Divine is back and shows us how it really has to be done.

This is Pale Divines third release, and the band has really progressed from their first album, where some of the songwriting was lacking. Though with this new album the singing, riffs, and writing all mesh together to create a warm uplifting doom album. It has the timeless doom riffing in the vein of Sabbath, Pentagram, and Vitus, but they keep their own sound by mixing in their own ideas on how the songs should be put together. The songs range lengths range from 5 minutes to about 10 on their epic title track.

All the aspects that make a perfect proto-doom album are present here, heartfelt and well executed. The most important factor here is that it's doomy. It trudges along at a melancholic pace with a booming bottom end and almost tangible fuzz. Sorrowful riffs and mournful leads carry you through on a funeral march of Sabbathian quality. The trademark guitar work of Klein and Diener is out in full force with '(I Alone) The Traveller' serving as the perfect example. Floating in via harmonious distortion it twists and turns through seamless solos, all supported by the gruff tones of Diener. 'Soul Searching' showcases the duo's groovier sensibilities and the typical lengthy title track is Doom 101.

Another Pale Divine album, another slab of doomy perfection. Next time you're about to spin Pentagram's self titled or stick on Holy Mountain for the 1000th time, given Cemetery Earth a try (and track down Thunder Perfect Mind while you're at it).

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Pale Divine - Eternity Revealed

Incorporating throwback, seventies-style production (for that primo Sabbath vibe), well-thought out songwriting and a propensity for making the most of upfront, blues-rock thunder, Pale Divine conjures up a noteworthy display of doom on “Eternity Revealed.”

Frontman Greg Diener handles both the guitar and vocal duties for this trio, spitting out bluesy metal licks that a particularly foreboding atmosphere. As a vocalist, Diener has a nice range and puts a bit of balls into his talented, melodic vocalizations, especially during the bridge “Sins Of The Fallen” which turns from shimmering chords and rolling polyrhythms to a dirty black death march that will satisfy fans of Danzig and Trouble alike. When the band really throws it down during the track’s solo section, present-day Corrosion Of Conformity springs to mind as a point of reference. The loose, wah-fueled jam that ensues shows that above all, Pale Divine knows how to get deeply into a bottom-heavy jam without becoming stuck in the mud.

A similar doom grunge is distinctive during the track ‘Martyrdom’, as bassist Jim Corl and drummer Darin McCloskey team up for a Zeppelin-inspired backbeat and Diener lets a fretboard-torching solo loose. During other standouts like ‘Crimson Tears’ and ‘Serpents Path’, Pale Divine strives toward an apocalyptic sort of rock that is unpolished and unforgiving. A gloomy, quite competent rendition of Candlemass’ ‘Solitude’ shows this band is not afraid to wear its influences on its sleeve. As a bluesy jam with an almost Hendrix-like solo leads to a flurry of arpeggios over top the famous dirge on the track’s main riff, Diener truly shines as a guitarist. As the verse reprises, the roots of this group’s influence grows to be even more apparent.

Although this band may just get lumped in with the sea of so-called “stoner” acts on the scene today, such a tag might be a disservice as the majority of the music made by Pale Divine is decidedly more metal than most who wear that mark. The band redirects Sabbath sounds into a new realm focused on shredding jam sequences (at times, Diener’s axework is not far removed from that of Ted Nugent in his glory days) and roaring, fuzzy melodies that are choice enough to satisfy any fan of Cathedral, St. Vitus, Kinghorse, and any of the bands mentioned above.

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Pale Divine - Thunder Perfect Mind

PsycheDOOMelic is probably the best current label for doom metal, and Pale Divine is a great example of the quality of their output. Pale Divine play a style of doom metal firmly rooted in the 70s and 80s, although they don't necessarily mimick one band in particular so it's difficult to compare them to anybody. Vocalist Greg Diener sounds quite a bit like Scott Reagers or Bobby Liebling or one of those others 80s doomy vocalists that did a good job of imitating Ozzy whilst disregardeing the Birmingham accent. He has a very powerful voice and is crucial to the band's sound, and songs like Dark Knight wouldn't be the same with Diener's lungs.

As for the actual songwriting, I'm reminded of different bands at different points of the album, yet the whole disc still flows consistantly and doesn't really sound mixed up, the band combines their influences well into a sort of doom pot pourri. Opener 'Amplified' is pure, unadultered rock and roll and reminds me more of Bishop than any gloomy doom metal band, even though it still has that deep, low sound to it. However, 'Gods Monsters and Men' actually has a Kyuss (BftRS-era) feel to it, whilst 'Dark Knight' has a strong epic vibe that reminds me of Manilla Road more than anybody else (especially in the fantastic vocal arrangements). Then we have the short, string-picked instrumental 'Dream Flower' that would sound right at home on Sabbath's Masters of Reality in place of Embryo or Orchid, and then John Klein's lead guitar reminds me of some really early bluesy metal, like Pentagram or even Blue Cheer (in tone and delivery).

You might expect the band to sound all over the place, but that isn't the case. This album flows nicely, one superbly well-written song after the other, and the influences are all sewn in well. The PsycheDOOMelic rerelease has two live bonus tracks, and they're both played so perfectly that you can tell this band has rehearsed their asses off. A very tight performance, which tells me two things. One, this band must be excellent live, so if you live in or around Pennsylvania then you should definitely be sure to go to a Pale Divine show, I can guarantee an excellent performance. And two, this being Pale Divine's first album, I'm sure they could have only improved on their later releases, so along with 'Thunder Perfect Mind' I would also recommend checking out their subsequent albums, any real doomheads should not be missing any Pale Divine in their collection.

Oh, and did I mention that Bobby Liebling appears on the last 2 tracks ? :)

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First Daze Here

Genre: Heavy Psych/Hard Rock/Proto-Doom
Artist: Pentagram
Album: First Daze Here: The Vintage Collection
Released: 2006 (Recorded 1972-1973)

Review: Pentagram is a relatively well-known band around metal-circles, doom metal in particular, as their seminal albums "Relentless", "Day of Reckoning", and "Be Forewarned" both spearheaded and solidified the characteristic Sabbath-derived sound that would come to be known as "Traditional Doom Metal". Some of you might even know of the often half-hinted internal debacles that led to the dissolution of that classic era of the band, but comparatively few metalheads care to dig further back into the dazy, hazy history of Pentagram, back to an era before the great Victor Griffin and Joe Hasselvander, an Era before before Black Sabbath was from the far shores of Birmingham seen standing triumphant atop a heap of eye-agape masses, holding the gleaming banner of Metal for all to recognize...


At that time, when as far as many of us Yanks were concerned, the epitome of heaviness was ensconced in the sound of a band by the name of Blue Cheer, a couple of kids from Virginia who were really into Sir Lord Baltimore, UFO, and Uriah Heep decided to quit their former bands and form something that reflected their interest in the aural assault these bands were plying. These kids were Bobby Liebling, and Geof O'Keefe.
After some deliberation, they settled on the ominous name "Pentagram", reflecting their dark lyrical content.


During their early stages, they faced just as many tumultuous lineup changes as they would later be set with, and over one 5 year period, they had as many as 7 different managers, while facing internal schisms, disappointment, addiction, and imprisonment.
Tough times, but they pulled themselves through a lot of it, playing some of the greatest heavy music these shores had yet been shorn with, before the Forgotten era called it quits.

If you care to read up further on the early years of the band, go here.
I suggest it.

Anyway, "First Daze Here" is a compilation chronicling the early rise of Pentagram, featuring the scant demos, singles, and live recordings the earliest epochs of the band managed to push through despite the chaos that seemed to always chase their name. It features Liebling at his peak, O'Keefe pounding skins admirably, the basswork of Greg Mayne, and the work of masquerading-bassist turned unmasked guitar-god Vincent McAllister (RIP), all lending the original sparks of true talent that served as a catalyst in the compostion of Pentagram classics like "Review Your Choices", "Living in a Ram's Head", "20 Buck Spin", as well as the especially jaw-dropping "Be Forewarned".

Listen.


God damnit, I hope I get the chance to talk with Liebling at MDF.

- FeatherofHuginn, Nov. 29th, 2009