Genre : Epic Doom
Label : Cruz Del Sur Music
Origin : United States
Rating : 9.2 / 10
Buy it now
At this very moment, Argus' Boldly Stride the Doomed is not featured on Wikipedia, nor the encyclopedia has any notable awareness of the very existence of this top tier metal squad. This is an unacceptable situation. This is not only an embarrassment on the collective psyche, but a pretty well defined one at that, so now is the time to attempt to draw more attention to the musical ripeness and elegant power this release defines for 56 minutes.
Simply put, and, according to (Yours, Truly's) theory, Argus makes the music that 999 - and not 666 - of 1000 doom metal bands originally/secretively are going for, but, their end products fall more and more distant from the then-formless instinctual aspirations, as result of being bombarded by compromises of various kinds during the creative process. Only a functional approximation of the original intent is left then, because that exactly is as much as it remained of it, after being eaten alive while being born. Aua.
Argus though never, not for one second, exhibits any suspicious intent to serve evident deceit or leftovers on your plate. Instead, everything is top tier, unalloyed, clearly and gratefully decipherable metal music content, and, what seems to be even more important than that, Boldly Stride the Doomed reigns totally free of all urges to scare / pressure you, regardless how it chooses to incorporate the most relevant and most weighty human questions into its primer interests. The release does not judge, it does not suggest - it reports.
On Argus' latest LP, metal gets resonated through a noticeably peaceful BUT fervently curios spiritual stance, one that soberly reveals a musical field that draws elegant, dainty patterns by sledgehammers, always being ready to deliver one of the flamboyant charms or luscious dangers it has in store for you as its primer components. Read more to lighten the immensity of the embarrassment on the collective psyche, that which is formed by the unacceptably low awareness level of this fine record's mere availability.
Boldly Stride the Doomed is as serious as music can get while threading along in the company of drums, bass, twin guitars and a singer - only this time, the singer tore an illegal space-time rift into the fabric of cosmos, and topples the fine instrumental cake with vocal presence emanating from the mighty throats of a Sonic Wargod!!!4
(note : the "4" at the end of the latter sentence is deliberate, and it serves the well tamed function to reveal my level of enthusiasm.)
While Argus' music emerges as spotless metal even when Kermit is rapping on the tracks, lead singer Butch Balich gives you the vocals that do a whole lot of kinds of "just" justice to the favorite attributes of this musical language. While it is totally common to attempt to reveal epic determination in an intentionally rhythmic and dramatic fashion in order to come through as epically determined, Butch Balich plays an entirely different ball game, simply because of the size of the balls he plays that game with.
This ex-Penance member gives you the raw animal vocal traits while he is worshiping the current melody as God, and his midrange packs more than sufficient power to - as suggested elsewhere on this here site - shatter neighboring icebergs at will, let alone how he keeps his stupendously ballsy vocal timber intact even when he is going into the higher registers. In a zone your good enough metal singer delivers among signs of not being entirely comfortable, Butch Balich shatters the icebergs. But, the higher registers on this spin are mainly used to sing a one note song of rage - copyright by Dave Mustaine - and are not serving as a basis to conduct the entirety of the vocal themes on. Higher pitched, real deal MELODIC screams are often used on the release to emphasize key elements of the lyrical context, while the major portions of the narrative itself tend to take place on the above addressed, exceptionally powerful midrange. And there is a whole lot of delicious narrative going on, from legit existentialist/spiritual pondering, rhyming nicely with the developments of both ancient and recent science - track called The Ladder - to desperate, nevertheless dignified and bitterness-free prayer - track called Wolves of Dusk - or a blaming finger in the collective face, - track called Curse on the World - and others that remain to surprise you. All in all, the funny thing simply is that Butch Balich does not sound to have a vocal zone he is not naturally gifted to deliver mightily on, and the raw charisma presence his contribution imbues these tracks with, are pretty "beyond precedent, at least until The Butch Balich did that, that is" - level.
From an instrumental point of view, Argus gives you 10 crystal clear renditions of the ripe, exceptionally intact, and, as noted, also deliciously dangerous musical field so keenly frequented by the members. "Dangerous" in a sense that these elements are out to affect you without notice, but they never try to harm you, because Argus' music "simply is" beyond the intent by a galaxy or two of causing harm in its listener. Causing harm requires no true effort. While the most persistent and most pronounced mood of the release doubtlessly and wholeheartedly belongs to good ol' fashioned impending doom, it majestically reigns beyond the levels of taking itself all that lethally serious, and so it emerges free to reveal a kind of legit beauty that expresses itself 100% free of all saliva, slime and the usual average smarmy stuff you can so easily and so cheaply come across on other albums to have your spiritual contact comfort fix shoveled down on your astral throat nice and proper. It always is interesting when you hear a monster talking about the fact that it (she/he) secretly is having a heart along the claws and jaws, and this vibe, this tender monster reigns ubiquitous on the spin, without any aspiration present on its part to toll or crave your sympathy for the state of existence it is in. Dignity, beauty, and the persistent possibility of getting your ass handed to you at any moment, are all key factors of this exceptionally intact album. Argus' Boldly Stride the Doomed has everything AND beyond you ever hoped to come across during a metal spin. It is a musical report delivered from a field of reference that deems nothing as having no right to exist, and it always chooses to enter and inspect, as opposed to chickening out, and reject. Boldly Stride the Doomed has what your ears want, and also
it has the BALLS.
Rating : 9.2 / 10
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