Echelon - The Brimstone Aggrandizement

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Presenting you a phenomenal super-group you that should absolutely not miss, here is ECHELON!

The band is an international project, with some of the members based out of the United Kingdom, and some from Sweden. The thing about super-groups is that they can sound forced or simply bad, but the thing about ECHELON is that even though I have only come across them once before, I know, without even listening to the music, that this project contains some quality material made by members that have been in the genre long enough to know its bad and good sides. Basically, I should and I will call these guys veterans, because they really are.

The group consists of the legendary Dave Ingram on vocals, known as the ex-vocalist of BENEDICTION, residing with the band from 1990 until 1998, and also known from his vocal duties on the 7^th studio record by the sadly disbanded BOLT THROWER. A few other names he has appeared alongside with are JUST BEFORE DAWN and a currently active project called DOWN AMONG THE DEAD MEN. The group also features Rogga Johansson on guitars, and at only 40 years old, he has proven that he’s a master of his instrument, being a part of seriously too many projects to even count - I’ll try highlighting a few in the honor of his playing skills; they are: DEMIURG, PUTREVORE, HUMANITY DELETE, MEGASCAVENGER etc. Kjetil Lynghaug on the other guitars is known from PAGANIZER and MORDENIAL, whilst the drummer, Travis Ruvo is known from AMONG THE DECAYED, CROPSY MANIAC, & WORMFOOD. Lastly, but not least importantly, the bass guitarist of the project is Johan Berglund, who might be familiar to some from his projects called THIS HAVEN and THE GROTESQUERY.

In short, all these people pretty much know what they are doing, and them forming such a brutal project can only mean a good thing. They have released two full-length albums in less than 2 years time! Now that’s a thing I take my hat off to. The band has only been active since 2015, and in the very same year of their formation they released their debut full-length album “Indulgence over Abstinence behind the Obsidian Veil” through Metal Inquisition Records. A bit more than a year later, Transcending Obscurity Records have brought forth their latest release “The Brimstone Aggrandizement” with 8 tracks of pure, old-school oriented, groovy yet raw, true to the roots Death Metal. If there is a super-group that truly deserves a listen, it’s them. Do it.

Songwriting:  7
Originality: 7
Memorability: 8
Production: 8