Review: Sermon – Birth of the Marvellous

Style: prog/alt metal (mixed vocals)
Review by: Jonah
Country: Austria
Release date: 22 March, 2019

NOTE: This album was originally included in the March 2019 edition of The Progressive Subway

It should be noted that while I’m reviewing this in June, I’ve been listening to this album with pretty reasonable consistency since it dropped back in March. Why, you might ask? Well I’ll tell you as we go on with this review, but to quickly sum it up: It’s pretty damn incredible.

What we have in Sermon, is an artist that is almost a solo project. All vocal, guitar, bass, synth, and whatever else is involved duties are handled by a single, anonymous contributor, while the drumming is provided by James Stewart, also known for his work with death metal band Vader (who are quite good and should definitely be checked out by DM fans). There is a massive level of cohesion between each and every element in this music, so much so that it’s really hard for me to pick out a specific moment or element of performance that stands out. The vocals are earnest, emotional, and have a wonderful, rich tone that perfectly complements the melancholy nature of the music. The guitar isn’t flashy, but over extensive listens I keep noticing more and more cool things, neat riffs, super engaging melodic leads, etcetera. The bass servers a supporting role often here, but when they bring it to the front it comes in hard, with a marvelous thick tone and just absolutely massive grooves.

All of this being said, the thing that I keep remembering about this album every time I think about it is the damn drums. Stewart is a beast behind the kit, and while his work here isn’t as fast or aggressive as it is with Vader, the level of technical intricacy to it is just wonderful. Nearly every moment in every song has some small piece of drumming that just makes me stop for a second and go “wow”. I don’t usually have a huge appreciation for drumming either, so this makes the performance on this album stand out even more so for me. Also worth noting is that the production, mix, and mastering are all absolutely pristine.

I could blather on and on about how fantastic this album is, and how any fan of Modern Katatonia, Modern Opeth, or really any gothic-flavored alt prog should 100% check out this album, but honestly I think this has the potential to be enjoyed by anyone, prog fan or otherwise, metal fan or otherwise. It’s that good. Just do yourself a favor and give it a whirl, I’m almost certain you won’t regret it.

Recommended tracks: The Drift, Chasm, The Preacher
Recommended for fans of: Katatonia, Opeth, Porcupine Tree
Final verdict: 9/10