Album Review :
Megiddon - Covered by Blood, Burning Inside
Band: Megiddon
Title: Covered by Blood, Burning Inside
Label: Bullroser Records
Release Date: 12/3/11
Reviewer: Taylor C.
Tracklisting:
- Path Of Blessing
- Trial Of Our Lies
- Miniature Life Protection
- The Signal
- Necrosis Of Conscience
- The Decipherment Of The Past
- The Flame That Burns Inside
- Sela
- Me, a Wretched
- My Final Breath
Whenever I discover a metal band from Finland, I naturally assume that they’re going to be good to some degree. There are a number of scientific theories on why Finland cranks out such good metal, but until we find solid evidence, I’ll just assume that it’s so cold over there than they don’t have anything better to do. In the case of Finland-based Megiddon, it’s no different; they do their countrymen proud. Covered by Blood, Burning Inside is full of quality metal that easily fits into the melodic death genre—even though there’s some black, post, prog, and thrash metal influences here and there.
As mentioned, the metal is good. The album, with a satisfying timeframe of 45 minutes, opens with “The Signal,” an upbeat anthem with a chunky marching riff that sets the record’s stage. The next track, “Carry My Heart” (one of my favorites), has very poignant melodies accompanied by the vocalist’s agonizing screams, creating a song that sounds both vicious and emotional. There’s even a refreshing amount of strings that brings out some sophistication—especially in “My Final Breath.” There are also two instrumental songs: “Sela” and “Me, a Wretched.” The first is nothing but these strings and a raw acoustic guitar, and the second is pure metal that serves as an intro to “The Decipherment Of The Past.”
Unfortunately (and I really mean unfortunately), what stabs this record in the spleen is the clean vocals. The screams are fine, often ranging from high-pitched shrieks to low dragon-bellied growls, offering plenty of variety. But the cleans are next to unbearable. When I first heard them, I looked like an infant when you shove a lemon slice in its mouth. They are nasally, off-key, out of place with the rest of the music, and often present relatively banal lyrics (“You are the light that shines into my darkest night/You showed me how to know what’s wrong and what means right”).
To be fair with the band, after a few more listens I could handle the cleans a little better; but I have to admit that I would have given Covered by Blood a 7 or an 8 if they were just gone. They really do hurt what I would consider a good album. Consequently, my favorite songs are those that use either very little cleans or none at all: namely, “The Signal,” “Carry My Heart,” “Sela,” “Me a Wretched,” and “My Final Breath.” Another miniscule problem is that a few tracks skip and fade in the middle for some reason. I don’t know if these were intentional, a production error, or just my copy of the CD.
Overall: Musically, this is a great listen for those who enjoy progressive/melodic death metal; however, depending on your personal preference, the non-screamed vocals might send you running in the opposite direction. Also, keep in mind that a five-skull score doesn’t mean the album is a failure. It’s a 2.5/5.
RIYL: Admonish, Extol, Graveworm, Pantokrator, Sáwol, Slechtvalk
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