Byron‘s mighty debut album The Omega Evangelion seriously got on our good side back in ’21 – at first. That was one juicy piece of rock-laden Heavy Metal that proficiently marched us down metal avenue to glories yet unknown. But, those damn choices made by Byron V1 back then suddenly stripped the album of some much of its glory. And that was a true bummer.
So, the question here is, will the band’s dreaded sophomore album Chapter II: The Lotus Covenant rock the stage better than its sibling? We’re yearning for clarity because things look murkier than they should. Let ‘er roar.
Well, the cute little Cthulhu still adorns the band’s logo. The tentacled monster on its fiery throne on the album cover seems to hint at terrible and antediluvian tall stories. Tales you can find in obscure forbidden books hissing their archaic poison back at you, should you be unfortunate enough to open them. Yet today, the theme talks about – and I quote – “…Stephen King’s realms, based on the “Pet Sematary” novel (or – to be precise – the 2019 movie remake)…” which is not exactly the Lovecraftian horrors we expected. Not that this particular story won’t hold its share of particularly gruesome brands of blood ‘n’ terror.
And once the (useless) intro called – well – Overture is finally over and done, The Lotus Covenant lustily lets loose with a Byron-typical and pretty refined doomy mix of Heavy Rock and Metal. Well-paced and like Iron Maiden from dream-space, meaty to a point, and crowned with one of Byron‘s trademark stellar solos. The RMR crew here also likes itself some of this band’s typical groove, and Chapter II here is full of ’em. This usually appears once the whole band just takes off on one of their Hard ‘n’ Heavy Rock-fueled forays, usually together with one of their lengthy and elaborate solos of which are many. On top of all that, you get some real mileage out of those vibes from the ’80s with nods to Desert Rock, and terrible Hammond sounds included.
Oh, and halleluya! The Gawds of Metal Wisdom have heard us measly minions of the smelly underground. On Chapter II: The Lotus Covenant you won’t find a shred of male growls. On the last record, Byron V pretty much killed the beast with those horrific screamy rasps on Amalthea.2 So, this time you’ll only find some sort of monologue with a serving of groove on Return To Celephais, because – I guess – storytelling. Oh, and do we have a return to Lovecraft’s dreamy pleasures after all?
Sword Of The Apostle pretty much turned into the filet piece of the record. In other words, The Lotus Covenant will whet your appetite. But the apostle will slake yer terrible thirst for moar Byron fare. And truly so. Dreamy vibes of Desert Rock, earthy strings, brought by one Elias Kahila, that deliciously chime in suddenly, soft-strung riffs, groovy solos, and enough hints of metallic greatness to please all them metalheads out there. This is also the song tailor-made for singer Johanna Eteläkari. And she comes really into her own on that one. Whereas on other tracks, the folks at the Review Desk weren’t all that convinced at times.
All of that goodness above rolls in on a smoothly yet tightly arranged production. One that won’t leave any of the elements behind. If only the record would have added some more material to the tracklist. A painfully short 33-minute blurb really leaves no room for errors, and you have pretty weak songs on Chapter II. There are one or two of those that could have landed on the chopping block. A massive bloodletting on only eight tracks in total.
Ultimately though, Chapter II: The Lotus Covenant surpassed its predecessor. And that’s splendid news for one of those sophomore albums that often shipwreck somewhere. This is one smooth piece of rock and metal that makes for an enjoyable listen or five. This record contains loads of delightful dreamy, melodic, and doom-laden moving parts of Heavy Metal and Hard ‘n’ Heavy razor-sharp rock. All of that wrapped into the juicy groove of long-gone times with that feeling of enjoying a jam. Instead of a well-written record, that is. And that is a feat you need to pull off first.
So, settle into an easy chair and let this here chapter engulf you. Meanwhile, the RMR crew is already looking forward to that promised EP and next full-length. But that’s surely already in the works. Right?
Record Rating: 7/10 | Label: Goatmancer Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 26 January 2024
Not a surprise that people who understand nothing about music become the “reviewers”. Bit more of a surprise is that quality magazine such as RMR is hiring them as content creators (supposedly with some kind of a banana per review -salary)
Whoa, snipers taking aim at us!