Apostate Viaticum - Before the Gates of Gomorrah CD

Invictus Productions sets March 13th as the international release date for Apostate Viaticum's highly anticipated debut album, Before the Gates of Gomorrah. One of the most exciting new bands Invictus has come across lately, Apostate Viaticum feature in their ranks a number of Irish metal veterans, largely evolving out of the band Morphosis, whose roots stretch back to the early '90s. Indeed, ancient times inform much of Before the Gates of Gomorrah: the foundation of late '80s deathrash is firm here, with the pioneering old works of Sadus, Pestilence, Master, and Sepultura setting forth the signposts by which Apostate Viaticum take flight and subsequently destroy.

And yet, it's what the band do with these influences which makes Before the Gates of Gomorrah so fresh. Bolstered by absolutely blistering production, Apostate Viaticum conjure slowly evolving whirlpools of maniacal Metal of Death magick, simmering with patience and slithering in a most serpentine manner, all before exploding into rabid, red-eyed bestiality or striking with iron-fisted doom-trudge, in between moving with martial grace and malevolent ease. Indeed, one could easily qualify Before the Gates of Gomorrah as "martial" metal par excellence, exhibiting as it does a unique 'n' elusive stridency that slots itself well alongside Invictus brethren Diocletian, Bölzer, and ZOM whilst exhibiting a comparably righteous rivetheadedness of Gospel of the Horns, Vomitor, and Throaat. Altogether, it's ever-singular EXTREME METAL, and it's merely the dawn of greatness for Apostate Viaticum.