Artist: Sonne Adam
Title: Messengers Of Desolate Ways
Genre: Death Metal
Release Date: 22nd October 2012
Label: Century Media
Album Review
SONNE ADAM is a band from Israel that has forged its sound on foundations of (in the words of the core creators Davidov and Dahan) “death metal in the vein of early PARADISE LOST but with a more shamelessly evil and blasphemous touch and some MORBID ANGEL thrown in the mix”. It’s quite refreshing to hear a band speaking openly of influences to describe their sound rather than hearing the usual denial for an umpteenth time as if having influences is an accusation of lack of originality, as if genius appears out of vacuum and not from a long tradition. ‘Messengers Of Desolate Ways’ is not yet a (second) full-length of new material but a compilation from their three singles – ‘Armed With Hammers’ (2010), ‘The Sun Is Dead’ (2012) and ‘Doctrines Of Dark Devotion’ (2012), we also find a cover of THORNS (‘Funeral Marches To The Grave’) and DARKTHRONE (‘The Serpents Harvest’).
They chose ‘Sonne Adam’ to name their band, its meaning translated from Hebrew is said to mean ‘Hater Of Men’ and it seems to encapsulate the feeling/philosophy behind their music truly well. This hatred is actually bred from the conflict between love for the mankind and deep disappointment of the injustices it has left in its wake, mingled with frustration of its compliance and run from freedom into the hands of servitude and oppression, be it in hands of religion or rulers. Their music comes best when it employs atmosphere, take for example ‘The Deceiver Of The Desolations’ a dark heavy engulfing feeling of a ghostly march through a foggy night, steps resounding as if on winding paths – a beautifully eerie song, one that feels more experimental and more interesting than most up to this point. ‘I Dream The Devil Sign’ probably holds best against the songs with less atmosphere, the songwriting feels more compact. For the rest of the album one of the weaker points is that drums are somewhat always out in the distance, playing in the wilderness away from the rest of the band and the tempo behind the music never really feels as driven, at times one gets the feeling with the riffs as running away from the song rather than working for it.
I’m not sure if the band at this point of their existence needed to put out a compilation of their singles, especially as its last single ‘Doctrines Of Dark Devotion’ was not far from this release so the decision seems quite baffling; maybe they wanted to show off Davidov as new vocalist against the replaced Dahan as soon as possible. The overall feeling is somewhat fragmented and spoils the impression of what otherwise sounds as a promising band.
Tracklist
01. Hater Of Mankind (7:15)
02. The Day I Chose To Rot (5:46)
03. World Of Everlasting Darkness (5:48)
04. Bestow The Crown Of Death (4:08)
05. The Deceiver Of The Desolations (5:47)
06. Olam Belehavoth (6:39)
07. Funeral Marches To The Grave (THORNS cover) (8:00)
08. The Way (5:18)
09. Armed With Hammers (3:52)
10. The Serpents Harvest (DARKTHRONE cover) (3:40)
11. I Dream The Devil Sign (3:41)
12. No Blood Flow (6:11)
13. The Sun Is Dead (4:04)
14. Inside His Mark (4:21)
15. Funeral Marches To The Grave (originally bv THORNS, Melek-Tha mix) (6:47)
Line-up
Davidov - guitars / vocals
Rogovets - guitars
Neman - bass / backing vocals
Steel - drums
Websites
www.myspace.com/sonneadam / www.facebook.com/sonneadam
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 6
Sound: 6
Total: 6 / 10
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