Originally written by Chris Redar
Heaving Earth plays the kind of death metal that shakes the very foundation of what is possible within the genre. The way the Czech outfit juxtaposes intricately technical guitar ch…
GOTCHA!
Heaving Earth is the biggest Immolation clone this side of Svart Crown. It’s pretty clear after the slight curveball of “The Final Crowning” that Denouncing the Holy Throne’s intent is to mix Close To A World Below’s oddball groove and Kingdom of Conspiracy’s pedal-down speed antics into a worship package worthy of the praise of the long-haired one himself, Ross Dolan.
For the most part, it’s rather successful. “Worms of Rusted Congregation” sees the band at its most Immolationesque, pushing a mid-pace groove and a well-worn riff set so far beyond what should have been its allotted time that it should be irritating. And yet, here we are, enjoying the second-most outstanding jam on the dais. The band attempts to repeat the magic on the spiritual closer (more on the actual closer later) “Jesus Died,” and nails it (pun intended) even harder than the previously mentioned track. Chopping in some Gorgutsian time-shifting does wonders for a band that can pull it off, and chops-wise, Heaving Earth can definitely hang.
There are four “instrumental” tracks presented, and, much like a comically loud fart during oral, they disorient and ruin the moment rather than provide any flow or reprieve. It’s a very noticeable issue, as the album otherwise starts in one place and ends in another quite naturally. Though the actual songs could have generally stood for an editing session, the filler provided is never so dull as to repulse. The same can’t be said for the generally lousy interludes, normally consisting of a strained high-pitch tech riff and some slight background noise. Closer “Endless Procession of the Holy Martyrs” has some drums, but it’s barely a continuation of what was heard in the previous track, followed by the ol’ “ominous cloud exploding” noise most bands open an album with.
Beyond that waste of resources and the fact that this is almost entirely unoriginal and somewhat faceless, it does sound pretty damn good. Heaving Earth won’t be winning the Best Original Screenplay trophy at the Oscars this year (for a lot of reasons—apparently the academy’s idea of a “film” is different from mine), but there’s a distinct possibility your parents will call the winner “arty-farty crap that only French people like anyway” and then watch this while they quietly let their marriage die before your eyes.
RIYL: Immolation
