Band: Milosny
Title: Babylon
Label: Red Cord Records
Release Date: May 14, 2010
Review By: Steve
Track Listing:
1. Prologue
2. Laodecia
3. A Silent Nation
4. Den of Thieves
5. Battle Line
6. Queen of the Fallen
7. For the Heartless
8. Persecution
9. Mask of Deceit
10. Generation of Revival
11. Babylon
Milosny is a five-piece death metal/core band out of Rockford, Illinois. I have searched the internet, and I still have no idea what “Milosny” means. I could only find obscure foreign websites with references and meanings that are beyond my comprehension. Maybe someone else can enlighten me. Anyways, Babylon is their third release and first full-length on the new label—Red Cord Records. In addition to Babylon, they previously released two EPs in 2009.
The album starts off with an instrumental, “Prologue,” that sounds like the intro music to a million horror movies, which is quite fitting given the dark nature and lyrics of the album. Babylon took a while to grow on me, but I have really come to enjoy it. The way the tracks are laid out I tended to like more of the tracks later on in the album. Around track four, “Den of Thieves,” I really started getting into the album. The tracks before this are ok but I tended to have a better rating for the tracks between 4-11.
Babylon has plenty of double bass, heavy breakdowns, and blast beats. The guitar riffs have a very dark tone to them, and they fit in well with Shawn’s throaty vocals. The vocals are above average; Shawn’s has a low and harsh tone to his screams; however, they have a ton of emotion in them. As with most Christian death metal/core bands, most of the lyrics are centered on the end times. The biggest knock against Babylon is the tendency for a lot of the tracks to sound the same, but this is true of a lot of albums out there and not just Milosny.
My favorite tracks on this album are “Battle Line” and “Queen of the Fallen.” “Battle Line” is my favorite track because it has that War of Ages/For Today Christian battle cry feel to it. Shawn screams, “Gather up the warriors, this is your call to draw the sword. The lines have been drawn, the city has been made. Let the earth hear, and all who dwell within. For God will have a day of vengeance.” I like “Queen of the Fallen” for its aggressiveness, the rolling guitar riffs, and some sweet guitar work at the end of the track.
Overall: this is a solid debut full-length from a band with tons of talent and potential. If you like aggressive, hard-hitting albums with heavy breakdowns and double bass then you definitely need to give Milosny a listen. This is a band to keep your eye on.
RIYL: Older Impending Doom, Becoming the Archetype, As Hell Retreats