Consequence of Time

When listening extensively to doom metal, most people will hit a problem after a reasonably brief period. That problem boils down to a lack of variety in certain purveyors of doomy heavy sounds, since some of the best riffs have lurked around for 50 years now, being continually reappropriated and, well, ripped off. It’s not all Black Sabbath clones we’re talking about either: think how easy it is to point fingers to Trouble when doom hits higher pace, compare with Candlemass and Solitude Aeturnus when things take an epic power metal turn, or that countless slew of bands employing the Maryland style pioneered by The Obsessed. Sounding familiar doesn’t always rule a new prospect out, yet chances of quality diminish when songs seem predictable and a group take inspiration from one archetype or another.

Pale Divine therefore have the strong advantage of standing out. Since they should clock you in the side of the head a moment after pressing play, the instrumental tones seem like a good place to start. Chunky guitars swing with a hard rock clout, allowing the deliciously warm bass of Ron McGinnis plenty of room for manoeuvre, while Darin McCloskey patters about on a bluesy drumkit, cymbals tapping and taut snare clacking out through the starchy musk of the strings. When 'Broken Martyr' pulls back to sit in a tight pocket, Pale Divine groove like pure rock, a Southern soulfulness lilting in from the vocals and sinuous guitar leads; yet 'No Escape' opts for a heavy metal gallop akin to Grand Magus and 'Phantasmagoria' booms out fat chords, the crisp sound serving both intentions equally well. The guitars are occasionally joined at breakdowns by a momentary burst of organ disguised well enough that it could just be the excess clash of strings and cymbals.

The quartet have grown vocally too, Dana Ortt joining since the self-titled effort 2 years ago and supplying around half the singing alongside Greg Diener. That brings the number of ex-Beelzefuzz men to a threesome, though after laying to rest the stoner doom project Ortt’s unusually graceful high voice adds a whole new dimension to Consequence of Time. Diener’s sumptuous baritone suits the sections of powerful riffing perfectly, allowing comparisons to Argus at times, while Ortt waxes ethereal in a more classic manner, surging into the higher registers as 'Satan in Starlight' hots up. In some ways, the guitarists operate like a male/female vocal pair, softening up conditions for one another to change the angle of approach and keeping the music shifting in a supple sway between classic heavy rock and bolder doomy fare. Firing off leads regularly and at unpredictable moments in songs certainly helps maintain interest just as much.

Indeed, if variety provides one way to conquer generic influences, Pale Divine grasp another opportunity to differentiate themselves. The 8 cuts included on Consequence of Time leave some distance between one another in terms of style, favouring the stripped-down approach of Pentagram and especially The Obsessed in the manner of quick guitar fills on 'Shadow’s Own', while 'Tyrants & Pawns' opens the album like the beginning of a quest devised by Manilla Road and completed by Iron Man. Crucially, the songwriting rarely leaves obvious signposts, meaning that the hooks retain their potency when the band return to choruses. On the other hand, a sudden fill could introduce a new movement or brief solo, which is key to keeping the title track going across 10 minutes of confident riffing, emotional vocals, and lead guitar nirvana. Better still, nothing feels dispensable on a 43 minute album, even if 'Broken Martyr' could have used a touch more focus and 'No Escape' stands the most danger of being called derivative.

In terms of the doom metal conundrum, Pale Divine end up in the healthy situation of sounding familiar but unpredictable. The scope of influences, particularly those from the US scene, won’t surprise, yet the vocal interplay and the dramatic tautness of the songs should please most fans. There was never much wrong with the doom template in the first place, so a band who can cement together riffs, melodicism, and soulfulness, then throw in excellent solos must be acknowledged. Consequence of Time manages to do all that with aplomb.


Originally written for The Metal Observer - http://www.metal-observer.com/3.o/review/pale-divine-consequence-of-time/