Argus are a band that gets lumped in with the Doom Metal scene but they
are a band that has so much going on as far as influences are
concerned. There is the odd Candlemass, Trouble and Sabbath worshiping
moment but there is also a nod towards bands like Iron Maiden and Thin
Lizzy. I would compare them to Pale Divine but they also have a
Solitude Aeturnus type of sound in some of thier tracks. Check out
"Devils Devils" for one hell of a catchy tune with some great twin
guitar riffing, chunky grooves and some solid solo work. Ex -Penance
frontman Butch Balich handles the vocals and does a commanding job and
other band members are equally up to the task. The guitar duo of Jason
Mucio and Erik Johnson do a remarkable job, hardly what you would call
ground-breaking but very tight and with a certain amount of class.
Tracks like “Bending Time” show off their skills with some impressive
guitar chops and the rhythm section of Kevin Latchaw and bassist Andy
Ramage add some real solid metallic backbone. At times a couple of
songs sound a little messy like in "From Darkness Light" where the
arrangement of riffs seems to get a little lost at times but complaints
like that are rare on this album. “Eternity (Beyond, Part I)” has a
real 70's hard rock feel that is like a long lost Thin Lizzy gone Doom
track and on “The Damnation of John Faustus” they give birth to a Doom
monster of a track. The powerful production on this album really helps
a track like this along and pushes the tune to its full potential. The
song is a jaw-dropping slow to mid-tempo Doom track with riffs and
rhythm that totally slay's the listener, this gets my vote as the best
track on the album. “The Outsider” is about as solid as a hammering 10
minute Doom track can get and on “The Effigy is Real” the band really
stretch out instrumentally. “None Shall Know The Hour” is another
highlight with another killer twin guitar riff and a solo section in
the middle of the song that is as close to perfection as you will hear
anywhere. While this a great album, there is still room for improvement
which is kind of scary considering how good this album is. The main
faults is in some of the songwriting which at times sound like a mish
mash of riffs rather than a cohesive piece of work but when it works it
is awe-inspiring. The artwork on the album is stunning and like
previously mentioned, the production is amazing. 8.5/10
Subject: ARGUS 
Mon May 19, 2008 8:40 am
