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The two brothers Kristian and Johan Niemann were introduced to the more extreme forms of metal rather late in life but nonetheless they had the wish for a long time to write and record music more brutal music than what they are offered in Therion. Now they present the first result in the shape of Demonoid, a band name that's rather stereotypical for the genre but still gives the beholder an immediate glimpse of what to expect from the album. "Riders Of Apocalypse" consists of, aside from the Niemann brothers, Christofer Johnsson (the mastermind behind Therion) on vocals and Richard Evensand (ex-Sorcerer, ex-Soilwork, ex-Ebony Tears, currently with Chimaira) who was briefly working with Therion as well. It's been a long time since we heard Christofer growl now. He did it well on the first Therion albums before they left the death metal sound behind them to embark upon an amazing journey towards where they are today. Back then his growling was rather raw and vicious though, now it is more controlled and laid back. The production is of course also a whole lot cleaner and modern sounding this time which makes the vocals (and everything else) sound more even and clear. I personally think Christofer sounded a little bit better back in the early 90s but he is doing the growling vocals surprisingly well on this album as well, especially when realizing that he has not been doing this for many years now.
This is musically remote from what Therion has been doing in their post-death metal period. Instead the basic ideas behind Demonoid can be found in the late 80s / early 90s death / thrash metal scene. The lyrical theme of "Riders Of The Apocalypse" is quite interesting and a lot more interesting than what most bands in the genre offer the listener. Christofer is responsible for penning the words and, in accordance with the title, the stories told are based on the biblical figures, part history, part fantasy. As Christofer is not responsible for much of the music on this album it has little in common with the heavy metal influenced death metal of early Therion. Instead it shows similarities to modern death and thrash metal acts such as Malevolent Creation, Testament, At The Gates and Slayer but there is a higher degree of technically advanced playing presented on this album. The Niemann brothers are formally educated musicians and it definitely shows here as well as it does on the new Therion albums. There is thought behind each song and they manage to avoid the monotony trap most of the time. The overall atmosphere and sound is actually very similar to the latest Therion releases, probably because of the fact that the Therion musicians are involved here as well but also since it was recorded in their own "Modern Art" studio. The Niemann brothers are no innovators but highly skilled musicians which makes "Riders Of The Apocalypse" an enjoyable album for all fans of technical extreme metal. Stand-out tracks: "Wargods", "End Of Our Times".
| Tracklist |
| 1. Wargods |
| 2. Firestorms |
| 3. Witchburners |
| 4. 14th Century Plagues |
| 5. Hunger My Consort |
| 6. The Evocation |
| 7. Arrival Of The Horsemen |
| 8. End Of Our Times |
| 9. Death |
: 47.09
| Buy other Demonoid albums |
