Merlin - Christ Killer (2014)
The latest release from the prolific
Merlin, who put out two full releases and a split last year alone, is
allegedly based on a screenplay by Nick Cave for Gladiator II:
Christ Killer. While we won't
be seeing Russell Crowe hold a thorn-crowned head up on the silver
screen anytime soon, Merlin's interpretation provides a satisfying
alternative for that experience, melding a Pantera-like sense of hard
country rock with some psychedelic-edged doom for a trip into
alternate history. The flow of the album is excellent, with a close
attention to details, as when a closing chord from one song continues
ringing out its reverb as the next song revs up into motion.
By the
time they get to “Deal With The Devil”, things are in full swing,
with bass providing a landscape of growling and churning noise over
the drums, the guitar sizzling away alongside it, and the vocals
rising like a battle cry. From there, it's on into the sounds of
space with “Lucifer's Revenge”, in which the reverb turns into a
devouring beast, layering residual tones and feedback for a wild ride
into the nine circles. “The Christkiller” is where the CD
edition ends, which pulls from spaghetti western soundtracks for a
distinctly weird Western vibe and a crashing crescendo to close
things down for the night. If you picked up the online version,
though, you're treated to a bonus track, “Forever My Queen”,
which is just the right size to be played over the credits of the
film, should it ever materialize; it shifts back into the doom rock
mode of things, propelled by one of the album's catchier riffs, while
the guitarist takes free license to shred his fingers down to the
bone.
Either
version offers some fine tunes for your time, and it's something you
should really check into if you have a taste for doom, cowboys, and
some El Topo-ish
desert visions. This one's sure to grow in notoriety as the year
continues, but it really benefits from being listened to in the hot
months of summer, so don't let it get cold before you put it in your
ears.
~
Gabriel
For
Fans Of; Funeral Horse, Kings Destroy, Night Horse, Broughton's
Rules, Albinö Rhino
~
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