When I received this CD to review, I was not sure what to expect. I had heard one previous song by The Beckoning from the Warclub Records compilation CD titled “The Killing Fields” and wasn’t sure why they were included on the CD as their music was quite different from that of the other bands on the compilation.
So I copied the music to my iPod and put on my headphones to give it a listen. After the first time through, I was a bit surprised, as I wouldn’t classify this as metal. So, I listened again. And again. And again! After several listens during several weeks, the album grew on me, and I was really starting to get into it. Then it clicked, this is gothic hard rock bordering on metal, with some male death metal style vocalings, as well as clean male and female vocals throughout the album. However, it’s not your conventional gothic hard rock/metal album due to the extreme death metal vocal stylings and beautiful sonic landscapes painted throughout. Some people may call this symphonic.
I like gothic music, including gothic rock, ambient, metal, industrial and so on. If you are a fan of the band Leper out of Chicago, The Beckoning is along those lines, but definitely heavier.
The first song on the album, “Bloodlet” starts out with piano, guitars, keys, drums, and a guy speaking. Then the death metal styled vocals kicked in, and moving from a piano to a synthesizer as the lead melody kicks in. About halfway into the song, you can hear the metal influences kick in, then for the chorus the clean female vocals kick in. About three quarters into the song, a good, solid melodic guitar solo kicks in, and I am pleased! I could not understand a lot of the lyrics during the song where the death metal vocals are singing, so I had to search the internet to find the lyrics. After reviewing the lyrics for the song, I was impressed as they are biblical as well as use prophecy from the Bible that talk about Jesus coming to die for us. The lyrics flow like poetry, and are very well written, as you can see from this excerpt from “Bloodlet”:
“This is the hour when darkness reigns
Heaven’s purest light bore crimson stain
This is the hour when darkness reigns
When souls are saved and serpents slain
“Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”
The second song, “Withered”, kicks off right away with a melodic lead guitar with keyboard, bass, drums playing in the background. This song right away reminds me right away of the gothic music from the late 80’s, with the clean male vocals, until the death metal vocals kick in. This song, again, weaves a beautiful tapestry of melody throughout.
As far as the entire album goes, the songs all flow and ebb, taking you on a journey through surrealistic soundscapes that can make you forget about where you are and your problems while listening. The lyrical content ranges from the death of Jesus to being weary and leaning on Him for strength, to faith and other topics. There are many times while listening to this I was reminded of Saviour Machine “Legend” series music (not necessarily the themes but the “sound”). That is a good thing!
If you are a fan of gothic music, then this is an album not to miss, go download it NOW! If you are an extreme music fan and are willing to listen to something a bit different, a bit ethereal yet pleasing to the ear, then I recommend you at least download the album and give it a try, you just may find yourself surprised!
The Beckoning – Demystifying the Oracle is available for free via their Bandcamp page (pay what you want).
Rating: 8 / 10
Written by Thrasher777 (Brian)
1.Bloodlet 05:44
2.Withered 08:17
3.Beyond The Dark 03:08
4.The Wrath To Come 05:40
5.Clothed In Crimson 07:00
6.Wielder Of Plagues 06:32
7.An Omen In The Dark 06:33
Record Label: Independent Release / 2011
Band members:
Roy Turple – drums and lead vocals
Meghann Turple – keyboards, piano and vocals
Eldon Loewen – guitar and bass.