Evangelist: In Partibus Infidelium (2011)

Have You Heard the Good News?

With the exception of one dude out in Ohio, everyone loves classic Candlemass. The Swedes were the first to adopt the distinct sound of epic doom: sparse, slow, heavy, depressing, and a little bit over-the-top. Their sound made them noticed. But the songwriting made them great. It was phenomenal, particularly on Epicus Doomicus Metallicus. "Solitude", if heard once, will stick with you until you die.

If a metal band is widely loved, then before long there will be countless imitators. And inevitably, many of those imitators will focus on the sound, forgetting the songwriting entirely. Evangelist have seen the current state of epic doom, in need of salvation. They are in partibus infidelium, in the place of the unfaithful. They're wearing suits, knocking at your door. They have a pamphlet, and want to talk to you about the Good News of the Church of Candlemass.


The mysterious Polish collective have the sound covered. It's like Candlemass, of course. But with modern technology and a stronger focus on a robust bass tone, it's even better than ever. The vocals are somewhat similar as well, although they're the thing that's most obviously distinct from the Swedish legends. This throat-music is beefier, and drops the excess vibrato--possibly making Evangelist more palatable to that guy.

More importantly, Evangelist have songwriting chops. Every song has a memorable riff. Every song has a catchy vocal melody. The tempos shift regularly. The drums are highly varied. The guitar plays the occasional dissonant chord. And the bass does its own interesting things, never tracking the guitar too closely so as to get lost.

My only complaint, in fact, is a distracting, trumpet-like sound in the chorus of "Cthulhu Rising". Other than that minor quibble, In Partibus Infidelium is fantastic.



The Verdict: It's salvation to the world of epic doom. I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

PsycheDOOMelic
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This review originally appeared on Doom-metal.com.