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DEATH PENALTY
Death Penalty

Rise Above (2014)
Rating: 9/10

Although only active since 2013, Death Penalty has released what I can only describe as one of my top three metal releases of 2014.

Lee Dorrian’s (ex-Cathedral, ex-Napalm Death) label sure knows how to churn out top quality bands, and in such a prolific nature too. The Cathedral connection doesn’t end there, because Death Penalty was formed by former Cathedral guitarist Gaz Jennings. It’s no surprise then that this is a riff-heavy masterpiece combining that expected groove-based riffage with a more forceful oily sharpness.

Now, I should actually be sick to death of female-fronted doom bands by now – after all, the bandwagon is jam-packed with occult-influenced acts featuring lithe femme fatales and their mystical glares – but this is something altogether different and, above all, edgier. At the helm of this ship of doom is Michelle Nocon (ex-Serpentcult), who has more guts in just one of those yelps than a majority of occult-rock females put together. In fact, her cries are more akin to Young Heart Attack’s (remember them?) Jennifer Stephens, in that they are raunchy ’n’ roll rather than tepid esoterica. And with this belting voice, we have a set of tunes bolstered by the rumbling bass of Raf Meukens (ex-Gorath) and those punching drums courtesy of Frederik Cosemans (Serpentcult).

Death Penalty gets its name from the classic 1982 opus released by British rockers Witchfinder General. While there is a strong UK influence here, there is also that potent Belgian flavour supplied by the rest of the band. We get a set of stirring classics which come a year after the impressive ‘Sign Of Times’ single; the best of a brilliant bunch is the fully cranked up tour de force that is ‘Immortal By Your Hand’ with its sturdy New Wave Of British Heavy Metal drive, and the chugging opener ‘Howling At The Throne Of Decadence’ with its catchy licks and backdrop of Cathedral-esque chunkiness.

The songs feel nifty, never laborious and have a certain air of the epic about them, blending a classic metal gallop with a slightly hotter bellowing reminiscent of beefy warrior rockers Manilla Road. One cannot but help become addicted to the fantastic chorus spewed up by ‘Eyes Of The Heretic’, and with certain other tracks there’s a hue of Iron Maiden. This is something I often find irritating with modern bands, but not here. Death Penalty is more than happy to have flecks of being quintessentially British, but as long as Nocon is on this type of form Death Penalty will always be leaps and bounds ahead of the rest.

With every listen, tracks such as ‘The One That Dwells’ just become more infectious, but for me the one track which exhibits the supremacy of this band is ‘Children Of The Night’; a crushing slice of 70s witchery with that fuzzing guitar lope and Coseman’s pounding skins. This time Nocon expresses a more melancholy tone, her vocal wisps dancing eerily over those black rolling riffs and Raf Meukens’ bone-shuddering bass-lines.

For me, Gaz Jennings is like some modern day Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) in that he’s forever whipping up stormy riff after stormy riff, each one a new black sound for the ears to savour. Meanwhile, in Nocon we have one of the most powerful female voices to grace our souls. While the likes of Purson, The Oath et al have coughed up some mighty fine albums, Death Penalty’s debut is – for me, anyway – at the very top of the pile. It says it all when you’re spinning such a dark slab when the wife shouts out from the kitchen, “Turn it up!”

Ten tracks, 52 minutes and a true leviathan of an opus.

Neil Arnold

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