Band: Paths Of Possession Album: The End Of The Hour Label: Metal Blade Rating: 9/10 Website: http://www.pathsofpossession.com BUY NOW!

Of the reviews I have seen, some of which have been of an average nature I hasten to add, I definitely think that they may have received a different promo altogether than the one we received here. Although they feature George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher of Cannibal Corpse fame on vocals, this is far from another Cannibal Corpse clone. This has more to do with the mid-paced Death Metal bands such as Bolt Thrower, catchy as hell and with added bonus of plenty of Maiden-esque melodies and harmonies. Fischer, without doubt, has given one of his finest vocals performance on "The End of Hour". He sounds much more diverse and shakes things up a hell of a lot more than what he does with Cannibal Corpse. It really is fascinating to hear him on more melodic and somewhat "catchy" material. The production, courtesy of Erik Rutan once again, really gets a good mix of melody and aggression. Its good to the hear the bass so high in the mix. Lyrically, there is a concept that runs through the album. It's a little hard to follow without the lyrics, but I've been assured it based on "the surreal horrors that one man experiences during war, death and the beyond that warps his very existence into a demigod-like awareness that may have the ability to consume life as we know it". "The End of Hour" is not the most brutal Death album you're going to hear as melody definitely takes a front seat on this one; it is however, one of the most surprising, interesting and finest death metal albums to emerge this year. The only problem is with Corpsegrinder's attention fully focused on Cannibal Corpse, it'll be interesting to see whether or not this will limit what PoP are doing in terms of tours/gigs etc. Chris Rogers Back to Reviews