The Heritage of Past Gods

Well I think it's about damn time that such a unique album has gotten some attention. The Heritage of Past Gods is one of those cases where the cover aptly represents the band's truly singular sound; with its Gigeresque display of repulsively mutated human forms, the album art conveys Pik's own bizarre cross between the haunting doom of Type O Negative and the surreal progressiveness of Psychotic Waltz. And if the seeming influence of these two very distinctive bands would lead you to assume that the Pik's style is merely derivative, you'd be missing out on one of the most interesting yet obscure experiments in doom metal.

From the first track, "Mankind - The Unsuccessful Experiment", it's clear that Pik is a doom metal band that derives much of its atmosphere from the presence of keyboards. This, however, is not likely to be a point of contention with most listeners, since the keyboards tend to have a more darkly cinematic feel (perhaps like unnerving motifs for independent horror films) than their usually sentimental use in most other doom metal bands. The second most readily and distinctive aspect of Pik is Henry Beck's vocals: think of a more fearsome Danzig or a theatrical Peter Steele, and you wouldn't be far off in your approximation. And along with the strange and oppressive aura of the keyboards, Beck's vocals are a crucial element in deviating Pik's brand of doom metal further from the subgenre's often very predictable and stale norm.

The album's best example of how well Beck's vocals work with the keys is "The Holy Water Doesn't Help." The track opens with a haunting chord progression on the keys as Beck's deranged yet soaring vocals give a new twisted character to the old pedophiliac priest tale. And this song really develops as Beck's voice takes on a truly cathedralesque presence over the jagged rhythms, creating a very effective contrast. Considering the level of its theatricality, "The Holy Water Doesn't Help" will likely be a selection that decides whether you'll love or hate Pik's undeniably distinctive take on doom metal.

The band's progressive side becomes more apparent in the latter half. "Prayer of Death" features clean, goth-styled guitars in the verse, a powerful chorus chanted by Beck and lightning-fast solos. "Mysterious Stones" makes even greater use of dynamics to a very contemplative effect, but also features some technical thrash riffs peppered throughout the duration.

From my first listen, I knew that "The Heritage of Past Gods" would be one of the most genuinely distinctive and memorable doom metal album, which any listener can attest is quite an achievement in a subgenre saturated with slow, monotonous riffs and overused keyboard motifs. Whether one considers its vibrantly ominous atmosphere, Beck's over-the-top vocals or the quite often thoughtful compositions, "The Heritage of Past Gods" possesses many qualities to be enjoyed by the more adventurous travelers along metal's gloomier and stranger paths.