Review by Chris Pratl on January 14, 2020.

In the overcrowded dance hall that is death metal, there comes, on rare occasion, a band that manages to nestle into the crevices of the genre and produce something well worth hearing. Often the band(s) manage to take an already-written pattern and augment it ever slightly so as to carve themselves a notch in the medium. Sadly, these bands are few and far between for my aged ears, but. . . every now and then. . . .

Blood Oath comes by way of the ol' Union Jack and slices into the din with a pretty substantial slab of old school death metal that mixes some thrash elements with its own brand of tempestuous metal music. This sophomore effort titled Infernum Rex Diabolus cuts the rhetorical fat off the bone and just offers up a simple, yet effective palate that is both well-produced and effectively brutal without overloading the magazine. From certain sonic areas, I can hear some similarities to my hometown's Cardiac Arrest, which is about as high a compliment as I can muster. Death metal is a pretty confined space, especially with the current resurgence of OSDM making its return to form known at every turn (some worse than others), but these guys don't seem to follow the current trend of drowning in otherwise nostalgic mediocrity for its own sake.

As a hard-boiled guy of aged introspection (AKA borrowed elitism in spades), I usually find myself over-analyzing some releases to their proverbial death, which is my blessing and curse these days. That said, the same chasm of musical familiarity Blood Oath treads is one of rather engaging, hook-laden goodness. When the term “riffs-for-days” usually pops up in random posts on social media, I tend to mentally gravitate towards music found in the CD's tracks “Lycanthropic Bloodlust” or “Angels to Some, Demons to Others”; the songs here just trample evenly along well-worn ground and manage to forge new footprints in the cold, loose earth. The guitar work herein is also pretty rooted in the ancestry of the accepted masters, painting rather colorful pictures of violent galloping with perfectly-crafted slowdowns in just the right areas. I really enjoy the overall swaying between the two mighty oaks of thrash and death, a distance all too often marred by dis-ingenuousness or outright inability; these guys manage to not only rise to the occasion but dance carefully along the slight lines between two already-polarized genres.

For all their worth, Blood Oath cuts through the causal mire and designates its due place among the legions in both small and large bursts of intensity and the aforementioned “riffs-for-days”. I also applaud the band's attention to lyrics that are both stimulating and well-thought-out, a seemingly starved area these days. I understand the adage of less-being-more, but that doesn't mean stultifying the audience to the point of pallid stupors. Go all in, or go the hell home! These guys did just that, and then some.

Check these guys out where and when you can – they deliver the goods very nicely.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Chris Pratl on January 14, 2020.

In the overcrowded dance hall that is death metal, there comes, on rare occasion, a band that manages to nestle into the crevices of the genre and produce something well worth hearing. Often the band(s) manage to take an already-written pattern and augment it ever slightly so as to carve themselves a notch in the medium. Sadly, these bands are few and far between for my aged ears, but. . . every now and then. . . .

Blood Oath comes by way of the ol' Union Jack and slices into the din with a pretty substantial slab of old school death metal that mixes some thrash elements with its own brand of tempestuous metal music. This sophomore effort titled Infernum Rex Diabolus cuts the rhetorical fat off the bone and just offers up a simple, yet effective palate that is both well-produced and effectively brutal without overloading the magazine. From certain sonic areas, I can hear some similarities to my hometown's Cardiac Arrest, which is about as high a compliment as I can muster. Death metal is a pretty confined space, especially with the current resurgence of OSDM making its return to form known at every turn (some worse than others), but these guys don't seem to follow the current trend of drowning in otherwise nostalgic mediocrity for its own sake.

As a hard-boiled guy of aged introspection (AKA borrowed elitism in spades), I usually find myself over-analyzing some releases to their proverbial death, which is my blessing and curse these days. That said, the same chasm of musical familiarity Blood Oath treads is one of rather engaging, hook-laden goodness. When the term “riffs-for-days” usually pops up in random posts on social media, I tend to mentally gravitate towards music found in the CD's tracks “Lycanthropic Bloodlust” or “Angels to Some, Demons to Others”; the songs here just trample evenly along well-worn ground and manage to forge new footprints in the cold, loose earth. The guitar work herein is also pretty rooted in the ancestry of the accepted masters, painting rather colorful pictures of violent galloping with perfectly-crafted slowdowns in just the right areas. I really enjoy the overall swaying between the two mighty oaks of thrash and death, a distance all too often marred by dis-ingenuousness or outright inability; these guys manage to not only rise to the occasion but dance carefully along the slight lines between two already-polarized genres.

For all their worth, Blood Oath cuts through the causal mire and designates its due place among the legions in both small and large bursts of intensity and the aforementioned “riffs-for-days”. I also applaud the band's attention to lyrics that are both stimulating and well-thought-out, a seemingly starved area these days. I understand the adage of less-being-more, but that doesn't mean stultifying the audience to the point of pallid stupors. Go all in, or go the hell home! These guys did just that, and then some.

Check these guys out where and when you can – they deliver the goods very nicely.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by JD on May 31, 2012.

I hit the play button on the music player on my computer, already having brought up the album I am suppose to review. I had no real information to go on with this band called Elvenstorm but I had this sort of feeling that I would have loads of information after it played. The music started, and I was floored.

Hailing from France, Elvenstorm comes right at you with a no nonsense metal attack that is inspiring as it is rocking. Taking their inspiration from Traditional Old School Metal and a little from the European Power Metal, they step on the global metal stage to fight for their rights to rock. Right off the bat, the intense melodies, bold catchiness and credible heaviness leap out and grab... the journey begins... this band is your ticket to a musical adventure..

Songs such as the mid tempo pounding of 'Rebirth' to the mind melting 'Kill The Deceiver' show off the majesty of this band. Lead singer Laura Ferreux is brilliant with the powerful restraint of every word she utters. She is not vocally weak, but she does not bowl you over with her singing either, blending finesse with power that moves the music - the results are amazing, and blends well with the old school heaviness the rest of the band brings.

I love this band, and I see them really taking the metal world by ‘storm’ (could not resist that pun). The album needed a few tweaks in the recording department but considering that this is the first full album for them, this is beyond impressive. Buy, listen, drink beer and enjoy. My prescription for a hell of a good time. Listen to Dr. JD here... this album will heal you - and is guaranteed to kill rappers. Er... bacteria.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 8.5
Production: 7 (needs minor work)
Originality: 8
Overall: 9

Rating: 8.3 ouy of 10