Smoulder – Violent Creed of Vengeance (Review)

This is the second album from Canadian/Finnish heavy metallers Smoulder.

Featuring seven tracks running 42 minutes in length, Violent Creed of Vengeance is a thoroughly enjoyable slab of epic heavy metal. Break out the swords and get ready for adventure!

Elements of power metal, doom, and speed metal come together under Smoulder’s epic heavy metal banner, working together to conquer their enemies. Violent Creed of Vengeance has been written by people with a clear love of and knowledge of the genre, and it offers a very complete and well-rounded metallic experience.

Richly melodic, full of gripping riffs, and topped with the expressive and charismatic vocals of the band’s very capable singer, (I really like her voice), this is a collection of high quality tracks. Merging instant appeal with depth and nuance, the songwriting and delivery are both first-rate. This is heavy metal that grabs your attention with its war cries, but holds it with a well-considered long term battle strategy.

It’s hard to pick a favourite cut, as each song here has its own strengths to recommend it. Within their stylistic framework Smoulder deliver a range of paces, moods, and textures across the album. The combination of rousing choruses and epic atmosphere means that you’ll always want to come back for more, and, ultimately, every song is just a damn good metal tune. If pushed, I’d suggest Victims of Fate as a tentative favourite, as it carries a broad range of Smoulder elements within it and is a pretty powerful song, especially with the grand ending. Epic closer Dragonslayer’s Doom is excellent too though…

With a meaty sound, hooks aplenty, a quality singer, and an armoury of top melodies and riffs, Violent Creed of Vengeance is a feast of heavy metal that you won’t want to miss.

Essential listening for fans of traditional heavy metal.