GODS TOWER “Abandon All Hope” /CD/

The third full-length studio album by legendary Belarusian Pagan/Folk/Doom Metal band.
Other than being the best Folk Metal album of the year, if not decade, "Steel Says Last" is also one of the most unexpected reunion stories. Initially slated for release in 2001, it got stuck in production limbo; Gods Tower disbanded, and in 2003, their guitarist and songwriter-in-residence, Alexander Urakov, drank himself to death. End of story. But as vocalist Lesley Knife admitted later, the idea of a reunion has been bouncing around since the day they split, and in 2010, they finally did it, recruiting Urakov's pupil Dmitry Lazarenko on the axe - and those were some big shoes to fill.
No bookmaker would have offered sensible odds that it all would work out -- but those who banked on it would have raked in a heap of cash, because the record is as unique as "The Turns" and "Ebony Birds", which made Gods Tower a cult band in Europe in the late '90s to early 2000s.
 The thing is, there's approximately a million bands that play Folk Metal by getting a dude with bagpipes or flute to toot over Hard Rock riffs, but with Gods Tower, the Ethnic elements are encoded right in the guitar work - in the genes. The music is based on melodies that sound at once traditional and devastating in the best Metal sense, and offers plenty of clever, also Folkish, licks backed by thundering bass. The midtempo rumbling, Knife's hoarse roar, and the meaty production seal the impression - this is really how Slavic tribes would have sounded on the march, if given guitars and Marshall amps. Between the you-have-to-hear-it guitar playing, the vaguely timeless melodies, and the monumental feel of an ancient legend made riff, these guys can induce battle trance like no other, and it's an experience not to miss out on!
Rok Music, 2011 ‎(MV 200). Made in Ukraine. First press.


Tracklist:
1. Intro / Steel Says Last 1:32
2. Earth Wind Fire & Blood 3:49
3. Rarog 7:19
4. Heroes Die Young 5:08
5. Evil 7:07
6. Civilization 4:54
7. Living Mirror 4:34
8. Abandon All Hope 6:44
9. Yesterday's Rivers 4:05
10. Poisonodog 4:47
11. People In The Swamp 7:15
Total playing time: 57:16 min.

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