Evangelist - Deus Vult
Nine Records
Epic Doom
7 songs (44'37')
Release year: 2018
Reviewed by Alex

It figures this 2018 year will end for me on the same note it lasted – doom. Little is known about the makeup of Polish Evangelist, except some of its members also double in Monasterium. Not that I heard that band before either, but listening to any track from Deus Vult it is pretty clear Evangelist is going to preach epic doom. Moreover, the statement opening guitar and devotion to riffs on God Wills It! reveal a bunch of Candlemass Solitude devotees, only with beefed up bottom end and less ethereal more throaty vocals. It is if God Wills It! setting is in the dungeon of some Knights Templar castle rather than under moon in a forest cemetery. God Wills It! verse make further reference to Athlantean Kodex, and the chorus discloses that Evangelist are very much not averse to hooks and flowing mesmerizing solos.

From song to song Deus Vult never gets off its epic doom direction, but with its unassuming, not overbearing melodies it also never loses the listener. Prophecy is slower and heavier, and more foreboding as a result. The Passing has a syncopated intro and flowing acoustic verse, with its heroic Viking sing along chorus touching on recently discovered re-release Scald full length, and maybe even Bathory. The Leper King, with its historical background, goes more into the early Manowar direction, before things became commercially oriented with Eric Adams &Co. Hooky soaring chorus contrasts a drier verse in Memento Homo Mori, and Heavenwards is a gliding melodic gem, its harmonies a certifiable hit from start to finish. Flowing like religious molasses, Heavenwards gains a bit more pace towards the end, elevating to a double bass after phantasmagoric buildup.

Evangelist may be early Candlemass followers in the sound department, and there is no shame in that. They are also followers in spirit, and that is their right. Yet, while being followers, they did not ignore their own riffs and songwriting craft. Due to the last fact, because one can clearly hear thought that went into these compositions, Deus Vult is an entirely quality experience, fully capable of standing on its own two feet without historic props. I often have habits of plucking some songs to make my own little compilations to introduce some of my more adventurous friends to the tracks off the albums I discover through my reviewing life. A pair of songs from Deus Vult will take their rightful place on my 2018 doom inventory, and, granted, for me that year was doom rich, so I had a lot to choose from.

Killing Songs :
God Wills It!, Memento Homo Mori, Heavenwards, The Passing
Alex quoted 87 / 100
Other albums by Evangelist that we have reviewed:
Evangelist - Ad Mortem Festinamus reviewed by Alex and quoted 88 / 100
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