Rovaniemi doesn’t only house the official home of Santa Claus but also has a rich scene of melodic death metal acts. One of the newcomers in the field is I AM YOUR GOD, founded in 2018. The five-piece bring a nostalgic wave of 2000s melodic death metal with them, bundled in their debut effort, “The Resurrection,” set for release on 23 October 2020, via Out Of Line Music.
Striking melody lines combined with heavy riffs are just a couple of the classic melodic death metal elements that you can find in this album. Yet, there is plenty more to discover for fans that want some more refreshing notes in their albums. “The Resurrection” is more than another album inspired by bands like CHILDREN OF BODOM and IN FLAMES. Take for instance a song like, “Fall With Me,” with its clean vocals, it breaks the style of the record a little bit, but at the same time is reminiscent of bands like BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE. Overall, the vocals on “The Resurrection” are mostly growls, but they also include clean vocals to set the right mood, giving the album a little bit of a modern feel. The band does not shy away from adding modern elements to the songs; for instance, opener “Nothing to Leave Behind,” is a true melodic death metal banger, but the synth sounds have a bit of a more updated approach to what’s in style nowadays. With its chugging rhythms and engaging melody lines, this killer song is definitely an excellent track to start off with.
Songs like the catchy “Believe Again” showcase the true potential of the band by blending a classic quality with the energy and gusto of modern metal, something that a band like BLOODRED HOURGLASS, for instance, also is guilty of. The chorus has a singalong value, which will definitely excite live audiences. Sometimes, there are a couple of surprising elements present in the tracks, like for instance, “The Loop” has a folky vibe to it in the melody lines and “In Those Times” is another outstanding display of intensity and musicianship, incorporating an emotional and catchy chorus, plenty of harsh vocals, heavy and melodic riffs, and crushing beats. The most progressive track on “The Resurrection,” however, is the closer of the album, “As the Lights Go Down,” which lingers on after it’s over for a while, making this an excellent track to end the album with on a high note.
With “The Resurrection,” I AM YOUR GOD deliver an exciting debut album without any major weak points, adding a lot of dynamics and refreshing elements with a nostalgic eye to their melodic death metal sound. The record flows perfectly from start to finish and altogether screams consistency throughout, even though a little bit of diversity would be a welcome change, as most of the songs follow the same recipe. The album is well-balanced and has a crisp sound, making this a very impressive debut effort. All things combined, we hope the next step is to see these guys on the road, I’m sure with songs like these, I AM YOUR GOD is the next thing to look forward to when hitting your town!
Written by Laureline Tilkin
Tracklist
1. Nothing to Leave Behind
2. Believe Again
3. The Loop
4. Flowers on Your Grave
5. Silent Killer
6. In Those Times
7. Fall With Me
8. Betrayal
9. Gravedigger
10. As the Light Goes Down
Lineup
Julius Vetämäjärvi – Vocals
Matti Hietala – Guitars
Joonas Erkkonen – Guitars
Joonas Roivainen – Bass
Atte Autio – Drums
Label
Out of Line Music
