Review by Chris Pratl on November 11, 2018.

Once again, Canada’s Odinfist takes the true power metal sound to some positive heights with the latest effort titled Rest in Glory. After hearing them for the first time a couple of years back with We Are the Gods and the EP Come to the Walls I awaited the follow-up with bated breath.

So what Odinfist creates with its brand of heavy metal is a collective of tracks that utilize some familiar, yet musically augmented riffs and scales. They offer some fine music that can appeal to many different fans of varying genres, chief among them the NWOBHM crowd, the power metal group, and the coveted traditional milieu. If you grew up on bands from these sectors, Odinfist will definitely appeal to your taste, and even if you didn’t expand those horizons accordingly. 

While settling into the second go-round with Rest in Glory I’m hearing so many familiar, yet defining elements throughout. When hearing “The Traitor” I hear some casual vocal similarities to a Viking-era Quorthon ala Twilight of the Gods or the Nordland saga with that easy, yet commanding ability. It’s these vocals that can either thrill or annoy you depending on your personal affinities, but they fit the music perfectly and offer a stark and welcome respite from the typical high vocal wailing or growling bellowing. Vocalist/guitarist Tyler Anderson hits some serious highs here and there, but he doesn’t dwell in an overkill stupor anywhere herein; while he isn’t a Kim Bendix Petersen, he also is far from a novice. If forced to classify Odinfist’s genre (a task I so love doing), I’d confidently place them in the power metal camp devoid of all of the keyboard trappings and overuse of wailing vocals about Valhalla. There’s always something to be said for less being more, and what you get here is stripped-bare heavy metal, period.

“The Great Thirst” is a prime example of the variation is song structure that allows the basic theme to remain intact, a variation bands like Hammerfall and that New York loincloth collective can no longer claim today. No two songs sound alike on Rest in Glory, setting a mood that changes ever slightly to accommodate the introspective mind, all the while staying true to the flow of the record. From the chugging and galloping riffs (“Soul Surgery”) that pretty much define the music we so covet to the slow and enchanting “Dream of Light”, this album covers all bases and does so with all of the necessary temerity to produce such a piece. 

The production is pretty good throughout; one of the elements of the CD I really like is the somewhat primitive guitar tone that sounds very retro and ‘thin’ in all of the right spots. It encompasses a genuine antiquity that is befitting the message of the band. Sometimes all things old can and should be new again.

Odinfist has a damn good grasp on the metal jugular without ruining the authenticity of the medium. They manage to detour away from the obvious and forge on their own path with some creatively concise music that’s both fun and taps the mental reserve just enough to keep you informed and entertained. 

What more does one metalhead ask for?

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Review by Faithless on March 2, 2020.

Coming from the ancient catacombs of Greece, Soulskinner performs a very solemn and somber death metal style on their 2014 release Crypts of Ancient Wisdom. Evolving from a 3-piece on their first record, Breeding the Grotesque, and a 4-piece band in their second one, Non-Stop Killing, Soulskinner seems to be like a good bottle of wine, as its ages tastes better. I have to say that I did not enjoy their first two records as I did with their third one, let´s find out why.

Crypts of Ancient Wisdom is a duo effort that really caught my attention because of its solemn and somber approach of death metal. This album reeks death all over from the cover art (designed by Mark Riddick), the lyrics and the sinister music performed by Bill (guitars, bass and songwriting) and Gothmog (vocals and lyrics). Breeding the Grotesque and Non-stop Killing were directed towards a gorier focus, average death metal performance and horrible drum programming (at least in their first record). I wanted to hear something more bleak and obscure. That's why I really enjoyed Crypts of Ancient Wisdom, this record gives you all the grimness and more.

The intro kicks with some acoustic guitars that are beautifully played but behind the beauty there is sadness and uncertainty, a metaphor of life disguised in ominous strains. 'The Captive Trojan Maiden' hits you with a straightforward Hellenic death metal style. No references to U.S.A and Sweden death metal, no blends or mixes here or even references to big death metal bands. The music is moody and atmospheric, it drinks from genres like doom and old school death metal, but not specific bands come to my head to compare with. I think Soulskinner has developed their own sound here. For instance, 'Life a Bane', 'Our Greatest Curse' and 'Deadland Part 2' are testimonies of a unique style that crushes your soul as you listen the solemnity of each song.

Lyrics are very mysterious and are based or adapted on writings of classical Greek poets and philosophers like Euripides, Sophocles, Agathias and Sappho. The lyrics are reflections of war, life and death, fitting perfectly with the concept of Crypts of Ancient Wisdom. For example, “The thin edge between life and death, colder by the hour, more dead with every breath” is a philosophical passage in the song 'Our Greatest Curse' that depicts what the lyrics are about. The fact that Soulskinner evolved from gory topics to these more thorough lyrics is a plus to the album and differentiate them from other bands.

There are many highlights in this record, for example, 'Deadland Part 1', 'Deadland Part 2', 'Our Greatest Curse' and 'Why Shrink From Death' are relentless songs that balance different moods and atmospheres. From fast tremolo picking guitars to melodic passages and crushing ambiences. I would say and I don't want to sound pretentious here; that Soulskinner has this Hellenic death metal sound that makes them different to other bands in the genre. Plus, their lyrical concept is also a very regional approach that refreshes the genre from clichés and repetitive acts. I´m looking forward to listening to their latest album called Descent to Abaddon to see if they continue in this gloomy fashion.

Rating: 8.8 out of 10