Deathevokation - The Chalice of Ages

One of death metal's forgotten monuments.

(Originally submitted to the Metal Archives on April 30th 2022) 

The late 90s and early 2000s were a very difficult period for death metal. The old-school was rapidly losing ground to the rising wave of tech wank and brutal/slam death, solidifying what is arguably the genre’s nadir. While there are releases worth writing about, it was nothing like the pre-1995 era, where things were arguably at their best. Thankfully, the midpoint of the aughts graced us with what came to be known as the OSDM revival, leading to bands looking towards the old-school for inspiration. Among big hitters like Dead Congregation though, there were many equally interesting bands that regrettably got lost in the shuffle. One of them is the topic of today’s review, Deathevokation. The Californian quartet’s debut, The Chalice of Ages, is one of the best death metal albums of the 2000s, and one that was sadly forgotten by time.

Earlier, I mentioned how modern musicians were inspired by releases from the genre’s best years, and things are no different here. What makes Deathevokation really interesting though is what bands they drew influence from. Throughout this album, one can hear smatterings of Bolt Thrower and Dismember, and even some melodic death/doom, akin to that of Paradise Lost. At a first glance this might seem like me trying to play a game of “This band sounds like…”, but they manage to blend all these styles here so well that they end up creating a wholly unique sound, the likes of which I have never heard in my years of listening to death metal. What’s all the more fascinating is that they managed to combine all these elements in a very natural and creative way, resulting in a cohesive and powerful death metal monolith.

As for the compositions themselves, they slay, to put it bluntly. The band flexes their songwriting mastery through the album’s 8 (discounting the Antropomorphia cover) songs, creating death metal epics that actually live up to the term “epic”. There is no song here that goes below 4,5 minutes, and all of them absolutely make up for their lengths, even the tracks that are north of the 8 minute mark. The compositions are seemingly alive, filled with tons of nuance and subtleties, as one can tell from the subtle melodic lead lines sprinkled throughout tracks like “Rites of Desecration” and “Embers of a Dying World”. It’s an album that begs you to give it multiple listens, because catching all the details and appreciating all the care that went into creating this work is otherwise impossible.

No worries though, The Chalice of Ages isn’t just melodic leads without anything to back them up, even though this album is a case of melodicism being used effectively in a death metal framework. Guitarists Brian Shuff and Götz Vogelsang lay down some crushing riffs upon which the entire experience is built upon. From classic Bolt Thrower tank grooves like those found on “Acherontic Epitaph”, to Dismember-tinged rippers such as “Infinity Blights the Flesh”, these guys are experts at inducing whiplash, and they manage to do that for an hour straight. Drummer Scott Ellis is also helping them in this endeavour, with his pummelling double-bass being a powerful presence that helps propel these riffs into the stratosphere.

As for the Paradise Lost influence I brought up here, it manifests itself in the longer pieces here, which are expertly placed between the rippers and provide a welcome change of pace. Songs like the title track and “As My Soul Gazes Skywards” are brimming with melody and emotion, without sacrificing any energy. The former melds everything we’ve talked about up to this point in an even more flawless manner than the rest of the album, with crushing riffs giving way to powerful leads and vice versa, and the latter… Man, it was undoubtedly meant to be the closer. It is the only instance of acoustics showing up here, and they are absolutely warranted. The track maintains a doom-like crawl that is driven by emotionally resonant lead lines and solos that never devolve into saccharine redundancy, and that is further aided by Götz’s voice. While death metal vocals aren’t known for their ability to stir up emotions in the listener, his presence in here is invaluable, with his powerful growl delivering lyrics about the soul wishing for oblivion after death. It’s a monumental end to what was already a grand album, and it hits the spot every single time.

This album is excellent, no doubt, but it wouldn’t be me reviewing it had I not found something to complain about, that being the production. It feels a touch too crisp for my liking, and although that helps with appreciating the melodic aspects of this album to the fullest, it ever so slightly saps away the grime the riffs could have. The instruments themselves don’t sound bad mind you, the guitars are muscular, the drums thud along, and the bass is all but inaudible (modern production hello?). This cleanliness becomes evident on the cover of Antropomorphia’s “Chunks of Meat”. Playing-wise it’s every bit as good as the original, but it lacks that ghoulish quality of the 1993 original. Nevertheless, it’s a singular blemish in what is otherwise a perfect record, so I’m willing to let that slide.

The Chalice of Ages is a hidden gem. It’s not a term I like using often, but this is one of the few times I consider it to be absolutely warranted. It’s a shame that such a magnificent album was forgotten by the underground, and the fact that it only has 2 reviews on the Metal Archives is an absolute travesty. According to the website the band is active to this day, though they haven’t put anything out since 2009. Part of me prays for the band to come back and bestow upon us a new release, but what they left us with is more than satisfactory, and I suppose the concept of not ruining one’s legacy rings true here.

Highlights: Rites of Desecration, The Chalice of Ages, Infinity Blights the Flesh, As My Soul Gazes Skywards

Rating: 93%