Blackened doom? What about the blastbeats? Frosty rung notes? What about the tremolo riffs? Guys, I may digress a whole lot and use these terms liberally – terms like blackened death metal, rung notes and whatnot, but words are my tools to describe how this music sounds like to me, and although I can admit that words can sometimes obscure true meaning, as a writer they are the best tools to convey the experience of hearing music in a way that we can all relate to. So, here we go.
Creeping use a lot of rung notes and minor chord segments. The ends of the strings sound icy in the classic black metal vein, and the band play it slowed down for the most part. Occasionally, the drums provide interesting fill-ins and together with the bass, anchor the rhythm section on this here release. Creeping present Revenant courtesy of label Iron Bonehead Productions, and this band shows some promise.
The band opts for a balanced sound, production-wise. I can hear all the instruments clearly, and this aids the quality drumming to a great degree. The vocals sound like hoarse vocal rasps, and register somewhere between black and death metal, neither screeching nor grunting.
The guitars exude some interesting melodies. The drums sometimes sound like the band is playing a soundtrack to two armies set to wage war on the battlefield, the tension rising as both camps prepare to meet for a bloody final battle.
Labels: Irone Bonehead // Daemon Worship Prod.
Creeping doesn’t do anything new on Revenant, but they do this bell-tolling blackened doom sickness with some intriguing potential. On five tracks worth of material, the band holds my interest for the majority of repeat listens. Masterful? Maybe. Classic? Not quite, but Revenant still proves to be highly enjoyable.
Play this during a trip into some woodland at dusk, the greenery darkening to the hue of jungle rot. The light may be fading, and total darkness will devour the lot of you soon. This music provides an effectively eerie complement to an impending omen of destruction. Whether listening to Revenant while setting fire to a cabin filled with a captive audience of conservatives, or listening to this while rain steadily pours onto a besieged village, the right environs for this music may well be key to your appreciation of it.
The first tracks are epic, and highlight track must be the initial deluge, “Death Knell Offering.” The tremolo riffs enter the foray on track two, “Scythes Over My Grave,” and wicked sickness leads to a doomed hallucination. It won’t be long after listening to this before shadows begin twisting into horrid manifestations of psychosis. Dark and well-executed, Creeping’s Revenant is recommended!