Can someone holler a battle cry to ORDEN OGAN, SABATON and POWERWOLF? I am certain their demonic offspring has been found, it goes under the name APOSTOLICA and they are due to release their mighty concoction Haeretica Ecclesia in a matter of days. From listening to this, I am confident more members will be more than eager to join their established clan of followers.
It kicks off with Sanctus Spiritus and from the off, you can hear the holy influences from Metal Mass leaders POWERWOLF. This was my first taste of APOSTOLICA and I initially thought this is what would happen if SABTON and POWERWOLF collided together to create something. Imagine POWERWOLF’s music arrangements, in particular the majestic orchestrations and stunning choirs, and then add SABATON’s Joakim Broadén’s voice on top. This should give you a rough idea of what they sound like. If you like both bands, you’re already onto a winner. Werewolf Catholic Priests driving tanks now comes to mind.
I have mentioned in previous reviews that the most memorable tracks are the ones where you simply read the title and it’s stuck in your head for days on end. On Haeretica Ecclesiam, there is a whole album full of these. Each track is as huge sounding as the last, there is a huge variety of sounds and they all fit together brilliantly.
In ancient Greek Mythology, Thanatos is the personification of death. He appeared to humans to carry them off to the underworld when the time allotted to them by the Fates had expired. Everything from Jonas’ pounding bassline emulating the deadly horse hooves galloping as Thanatos rode to claim his unlucky souls to the grand yet sombre sounding melody that matches the wrath of what this god would have felt. The poetic lyrics such as “He will be the one, Who purge the world” and “All humanity, Falling at his touch of winter” were great highlights of this song too.
With No More Place In Hell, ORDEN OGAN vibes started to come into play. By this point of the album, I am convinced that vocalist Ezekeil is the love child of Joakim Broadén’s and ORDEN OGAN’s Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann. Isaia’s finger blistering guitar work really shines through here, I have no doubt that these will become air guitar anthems. This was released as a single recently and given this triumphant melody it gives, I can see why.
It ends gallantly and triumphantly on Redemption. The beauty of this track is that it can be used as a soundtrack to a final battle, the victory party after the quest involving pints of mead or both. A fierce and powerful battle featuring merriment and booze? That is something I would like to witness; I can imagine this taking place in the form of a mosh pit at one of their live shows.
Haeretica Ecclesia is a solid debut that will stand APOSTOLICA in great stead as they grow and develop. Judging from the sounds of this mighty debut, there is great promise already within this mysterious and majestic quartet. There is another Power Metal cult to join and be aware, their first testament is very persuasive.
Rating: 8/10
Words: Lotty Whittingham
Haeretica Ecclesia will be released on 17th September 2021 via Scarlet Records.
