Concept albums in metal are nothing new, but concept albums incorporating death, black, grind, and doom metal are not very abundant, let alone ones that are also solo projects. David Napier, who hails from Louisville, Kentucky, has undertaken the task of putting together a concept album describing the story of Kafla Selaro as he battles for faith and life in the Dark Ages.
For those wondering, TIMŌRĀTUS means full of reverence toward God, devout, describing David’s goal of bringing “honor and glory to our savior Jesus Christ”. The final project as a whole will consist of four ep’s , with Black being the first one released. “Of Human Bondage” is the first track on the album and opens up with some ominous guitar chords with some subdued bass drum in the background. In general, the guitars and vocals overwhelm the other instruments through most of the songs, drums and bass guitar are noticeably decreased in the overall mix, which does detract from the songs. Vocals are a mostly a harmonized mix of two different styles of spoken black metal, almost as if a story is being told over a soundtrack of black metal guitar.
“Eternal Loss’ has an eerie organ intro reminiscent of something you’d find in old horror movies. After an intro section, there is an abrupt switch to the droning black metal guitar and vocals, similar to the first song. In general, the music seems a bit monotonous, and may lose the attention of the listener. The overall story and concept are interesting and if the arrangements and production in future releases improves, this could be something very much worth checking out.
Rating: 5/10
Written by John Jackson
Tracklist:
1. Of Human Bondage
2. Eternal Loss
Band Members
David Napier – all instruments, vocals
Record Label: Independent, June 2014
[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/timoratus/sets/black-ep[/soundcloud]