Para Bhakti... Salvation

What do you get when you take four skilled musicians, throw in some lyrics that could have been written by the mighty Deathspell Omega, and some hard drugs just for good measure? Why, you get Weapon, of course. The man known as Vetis Monarch formed Weapon in 2003 with the desire to invoke the essence of Satan in a very unique way, and he definitively succeeds here.

This is Weapon's third release up to date, consisting of a pair of tracks clocking in at fourteen minutes. The first change I notices with this release was the improvement in production; if you recall the previous releases, some of the instruments were far too loud in the mix (particularly the guitar) and sounded a bit muddy. This is no longer the case, and while this release is far from "polished"(thank the dark one for that), it's definitively a far cry from the demo sound the first to releases sported. The guitarwork is some of the most interesting and original that I have come across in my time as a black metal fan; the solos are some of the best I've heard in any metal genre, period. The drumming that Menschenfiend provides is good, as you would expect it to be if you have heard Begrime Exemious. Vetis Monarch's vocal style is similar to the one found in Proclamation's releases, meaning nothing but good. The echo effect used on the vocal tracks gives them a powerful, undeniable quality, and capture the listener's complete attention. The lyrics deal with Satanism in a middle-eastern context, and are as complex as they are thought-provoking.

This is a must-have for any black metal fan interested in the Canadian scene. A good number of the other greats hailing from this country, such as Blasphemy, Lust, and Conqueror, have given up the ghost; the time is ripe for Weapon to carry the flag. At the time that I am writing this, Para Bhakti...Salvation is out of print, so I highly suggest anyone who has an opportunity to obtain this 7" to do so.