Craven Idol – Towards Eschaton
If one could get away with judging a book by its cover, Towards Eschaton would receive “10 Fucking Skulls” alone for the stunning artwork adorning Craven Idol’s debut full-length slab of melodically charged death. As we’re not in any position to be so superficial, digging deeper into the heart of this album I’m pleased to report the musical quality is worthy of such mighty imagery.
The UK’s Craven Idol isn’t a stranger to me as I own and enjoy their Ethereal Altars MCD which reveals a much rawer entity straight out of the gates featuring a far more fuzzed out production, riffs that are a bit freer to embrace a minor black metal persona when needed and guitarist/vocalist Immolator of Sadistik Wrath’s performance on that release was ripping with phlegm and filth. The overall edginess of that MCD in a lot of ways was perhaps more of a selling point than the overall music being detonated as the bands enthusiastic delivery often overshadowed the actual “songs”. Again, Ethereal Altars is a worthy beginning for a band that was obviously on a path to realizing their full potential. And they have. Towards Eschaton may have lost a lot of the raw edges found in their past recordings, but the production is much fuller, giving more life to the guitar tone and as a result, the listener can focus on the atypical and well-crafted riff storm so skillfully set in motion by dynamic tempo variation and an emotive atmosphere that really lifts this material out of the abyss. The melodic guitar interplay between thrash inspired riffs, deep death foundations and the searing tremolo harmonies that soar over the wreckage to sew this advanced work together act as a truly engaging and evolved strike of death as found on the excellent tracks “Aura of Undeath”, “Left to Die” and “Sworn Upon the Styx”. “Codex of Seven Dooms” is perhaps the stand out for me as Craven Idol once again reaches into a black metal style of melodicism for a truly emotive music break that pours on the passion and memorable fire that spreads throughout the bulk of this album. Immolator’s vocals this time out remain in that filthy mid-ranged scream attack, but he has seemingly eased up on the cancerous fury to not litter the music he’s empowering with access debris. All the moving parts and creative attention to detail are in place for a well rounded and genre spanning listening experience where song-writing with impact is the law.
Craven Idol have wormed their way into a position that finds them on a similar lofty perch alongside bands of the Destroyer 666 and old Dissection caliber with their powerful deathly churn that breeds memorable music and a weighty strike against the gates of heaven. Towards Eschaton is a fine release that unveils even more worth upon repeated spins and acts as a supreme statement of intent that the future of Craven Idol indeed looks bright. -Marty
Dark Descent Records
Worm Gear 
*sigh*….
I should really get a Dark Descent supscription of some sort in which I automatically buy every new DD release as I end up doing so anyway…