Style: Folk/Melodic Death (harsh vocals)
Review by: Matt
Country: United States (Washington)
Release date: October 1, 2020
In the metal world, there are several distinct “tiers” of lyrical themes: On the bottom, you have your widely-panned songs about magic swords and whatnot, followed by partying and/or rocking… Further up, you get blood and gore, along with the various angsts and depressions… And as you approach the top, you’ll notice that a lot of the most respected metal lyrics are retellings of classic literature or history, preferably as old as possible. It can’t be cheesy if it happened! Gallow’s Hymn are among these lyrical elites, writing folky melodic death metal on subjects such as the fall of Rome, Egyptian deities, and renaissance paintings. This is usually a recipe for success, but I find that the songs aren’t quite as classy as their subject matter.
While the lyrics jump between various cultures, 80-90% of The Age of Decadence is a midtempo, vaguely middle-eastern stomp. Unlike, say, Melechesh, who could come up with 1001 uses for the Phrygian Dominant, these riffs are more like if someone at band practice told me “Hey Matt, play something Egyptian on that guitar there,” and I really wasn’t in the mood. They’re very basic and groovy… caveman-like, even. The riffs are almost all interchangeable, but the occasional acoustic guitars at least provide some variety, and once in awhile a goofy prog rock part will appear out of nowhere. See: the ending of “Son of Arrius,” the lone Celtic-sounding song about… Ben-Hur? I dunno man. At least it’s different.
Being heavy and having “smart” subject matter will probably make this band a hit by default, but I just find the writing really bland and immature. It gets repetitive before the halfway point, and several songs end rather abruptly with no climax, including the end of the album itself. The attempt is noble, but The Age of Decadence ends up being fairly aimless and harmless… More of a Bob Ross than a Da Vinci.
Recommended tracks: The Age of Decadence, Son of Arrius
Recommended for fans of: Orphaned Land, Aeternam
Final verdict: 5/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Metal-Archives page
Label: Independent
Gallows Hymn is:
– Nicholas Spevak (Guitar, Programming)
– Zach Hornung (Guitar, Programming)
– George Miller (Vocals, Bass)
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