Album Review: Illumina A.D. - "Days of Blood & Fire"
Illumina A.D.'s powerfully modern twist on classic heavy metal.
Tracklist
- Incubi Intus
- Days of Blood & Fire
- Crystal Grave
- No One & Nothing
- Our Story's End
- The Black Guardian
- Ecdysis
- Aperio
Review
Albuquerque, New Mexico metal quintet Illumina A.D. is announcing their 8-track album "Days of Blood & Fire". Made up of Nepthisis (vocals), Alexander Bane (rhythm guitar), Justin Cavis (drums), Paul Williams (bass) and Justin Ennis (lead guitar), Illumina A.D loosely translates to "light after death"–which excellently describes the band's mix of destructive heaviness and anthemic melodies.
The first track "Incubi Intus" starts off with gentle electric-acoustic before bursting into fully-fledged thrashing classic metal riffage. Illumina A.D. quickly debuts a sound that pays homage to heavy metal all-time-greats like Metallica, Slayer, and Iron Maiden. Chunky chugging, rapid guitar runs, and soaring lead female vocals work to seamlessly create a powerful blend of harmony and explosive metal instrumentals. "Incubi Intus" clocks in at just under 7 minutes and takes the listener on a nostalgic journey through a classic heavy metal sound.
The title track "Days of Blood & Fire" starts with a booming drum intro before catapulting into rapid tremolos, bright guitar chugging, and dynamic singing. Illumina A.D. excellently utilizes juxtaposition between clean vocals and heavier instrumentals to create an exciting balance of melody and aggression. Switching between clean and more traditional metal guitar tones adds another layer of contrast and interest to the track. In an epic finale the track layers a racing guitar solo over vocals that rise in pitch creating a powerful outro.
"Crystal Grave" starts with a clean guitar interlude before launching into some nasty guitar chugging and panning lead melodies. Illumina A.D.'s longer song structures range from 5 to 7 minutes, which gives them the opportunity to tell intricate stories through lyrics and take listeners on powerful musical voyages. Technical guitar work gives an intense display of musicianship as multiple solos give an exhibition of epic shredding meanwhile fierce singing races between octaves.
"No One & Nothing" begins with a stripped intro with clean guitar and vocals singled out. Around the 1:30 mark, a fuzzy guitar tone is introduced that starts to play an onslaught of rapid riffs and screeching pinch harmonics. With a sound that reminds us of slower-building acoustic tracks like Metallica's "The Unforgiven", Illumina A.D. soon bursts into full band dynamics with a harsher sound and faster pacing. After a ferocious display of heavy metal, the song fades out gently by returning to clean guitar.
"Our Story's End" starts with emphasized fuzzy bass leads in a way that reminds us a little of Tool. Thumping bass lines are soon followed by explosive guitar tones and slamming drum beats. With addictively catchy vocal hooks and crushingly heavy riffs, Illumina A.D. provides everything you could ask for in a traditional heavy metal track. Soon taking on a more thrash-inspired sound, "Our Story's End" is a powerful track that will definitely appeal to fans of classic metal.
"The Black Guardian" kicks off immediately with bright guitar leads, dramatic chugging, and speeding drums in one of the fastest-paced tracks of the album thus far. Taking a sound that is more Iron Maiden or Slayer-influenced, vocalist Nepathis sets the track apart with unique belting singing that soars above the rest of the mix. Syncopated chugging and cowbells create intense grooves that remind more of a death metal band, adding another weapon of musical diversity to Illumina A.D.'s sound.
The longest track of the album, "Ecdysis" is just a hair under 8 minutes. Speeding drums build anticipation alongside an epic guitar intro launching into impossibly fast guitar shreddage. Improving upon previous thrash influences, "Ecdysis" is possibly the thrash-iest track of the album with rapid pacing, wild riffs, and powerful dynamics. The first of its kind on "Days of Blood & Fire", this track is fully instrumental. After almost 5 minutes of metal brutality, the track fades into an ambient clean guitar bridge that builds back into a slower and more dramatic section before picking it up to end with rubber-burning pacing once again.
The final track "Aperio" reintroduces singing and story-telling elements, keeping things interesting. Intricate vocal layering creates intense harmonies and emphasizes singing melodies as instrumentals lay down a strong backbone for the song. After a clean bridge, the song bursts back into a fierce finale that ends the album on a powerful note.
Overall, Illumina A.D. expertly takes influences from classic heavy metal and forges it with a distinctly modern sound as they revive classic metal and inject it with their own personal musical style. Stay tuned for the release of "Days of Blood & Fire" and keep an eye on Illumina A.D.
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