We all know about the troubles in Ukraine that are still occurring, and yet some things cannot be destroyed. Ukrainian Death Metal four piece Heruvim are alive, brutally kicking and putting out some outrageously good music. Following on from a 2021 released demo entitled ‘The Riddle of Steel’, the ‘Shadowheart’ EP continues the Heruvim love affair with the works of Robert E. Howard, the creator of the Conan the Barbarian character amongst many other things. Spanning over four songs and opening with the EP title track ‘Shadowheart’, Heruvim play Death Metal with solemn melancholy mood. Powerful growling vocals mesh well with engaging guitar leads and lots of technical sounding solos, whilst a dominant drumming and sturdy bass playing display provides all the backbone and steel the EP requires. Some of the slower, more intense intervals have a touch of ‘Beneath the Remains’ era Sepultura about them which I love. I’m also a big fan of the bands decision to rely less on brutality and more on melody, and ‘Shadowheart’ as a whole release really benefits from this. That isn’t to say this isn’t musically heavy as in places it simply crushes! However, there are other forms of heaviness and the emotional heaviness and atmosphere created throughout add real depth to this EP. Something else the band aren’t afraid to do is let loose their technical chops and throughout is a dazzling array of wandering guitar leads and meandering solos. Re-released this month on CD by Redefining Darkness Records, I’d consider the ‘Shadowheart’ EP to be a must have for Death Metal fans. (Luke Hayhurst)
Heruvim – Shadowheart [EP]
Info
- Bands: Heruvim
- Labels: Redefining Darkness Records
- Release Formats: CD
- Release Years: 2022
- Review Date: August 21, 2022
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