Vera: ‘His Blood, Our Victory’ has been available through the band’s website for quite some time, but now it is officially released by Painkiller Records, so that distribution problems should be solved. It is the debut of Canadian band Reverend Kill, founded in 2004 by guitarist Don Stenhouse (ex-Thorazine, Deimos, Pericardium). In the beginning the man pottered in his own studio, writing guitar riffs with a drum computer and 8-track, but now Reverend Kill is made up of five musicians.
The band describes its music as groovin’ Western Canadian style death metal. This is a mouthful of words, but in the end it explains quite well what we can expect. The intro of the first song ‘Child Of Frost’ sounds a bit like western music. Furthermore we get a proper bunch of melodious death metal with a sure-fire production (surely when you realize that it is recorded without huge budget). Vocalist Graham Harris has a low grunt, but he also switches to a scream-like variant on a regular base. This skilful played metal of Reverend Kill is most comparable to Amon Amarth. This is obviously noticeable in the tracks ‘A Wire In My Blood’ and ‘Dichotomy’, but also in the guitar runs of Don Stenhouse and second guitar player Teran Wyer. In addition ‘Dichotomy’ handles that infamous mid-paced rhythm that the popular Swedes are so well-known for. ‘666 Conspiracy’ is a faster song. Although the slogan is quite infectious, it gives a huge Iron Maiden cover feel. Of course, that’s what you get singing “666 the number of the beast”, even when you grunt. ‘Velvet Revolution’ and the last track ‘His Blood, Our Victory’ start with an acoustic intro, especially ‘Velvet Revolution’ becomes a great song. ‘Frantic’ really fulfils that title: it is by far the most brutal track with heavy drums and fast and furious guitar solos.
There are no sensational things to be heard on this debut, yet it is diverting ear candy. In the meantime the band is working hard on a second album and that is something to look forward to. These Canadians have done a meritorious first attempt with ‘His Blood, Our Victory’.
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