Raise your longhorns and give salute to the new masters of the Perth local scene with this absolute gem that they have created; devastating, epic, scorching and it hits you in between the eyes and leaves you senseless for the next attack of bludgeoning carnage as this album rips from beginning to end within it’s intricate melodies and subtle passages. For me it feels like opening a book and reading a story with the perfect soundtrack playing in the background.
With the delicate guitar intro and the sound of the air adorning the space “Fury Entwined” feels like a song coming from a Bathory album Hammerheart era, the female and male vocals blend exquisitely giving you an urge of when the tales are going to be unleash and as soon as the screaming vocals burst with such a force and those riffs are ripping through, even the keyboard plays a big part here as those dark notes really creates a different atmosphere and the drums just blast opening a beast of a song. Here they really are dabbling with so many different styles but still you can tell is CTT especially when the female voice enters and brings the diversity into the fold, you must keep your ears alert as there’s always changes between the songs, those little parts that makes the songs stand out. “On Desolate Plains” sounds like a death metal song at first with the extreme sounds obliterating with such a penetration but after a bit it goes in a total different direction but the song doesn’t deviate too much so as not to confuse you, I was like what’s coming next? This album is dark and mysterious in a way and as the album title it is such a fitting name.
If the first two songs were like stones thrown to you, “Spirit Of Fire” bring us to our senses with that beautiful keyboard entrance. From there it grows and you can feel the progression throughout the songs from the most darkest pit of the unknown to the most delicate parts especially when the piano leaves its signature stagnated. This song has the tale telling emotion mix with the chilling and complex passages but there’s no time to breath as “Mantra” unleash it’s apocalyptic spell, those riffs spew blood and vomit going at 200rpm which is hard to capture all those sounds going at the same time but you can hear everything so clear. “Mantra” is emotionally charged with so many epic passages and the brutal side filling up the dark atmosphere, layers and layers of sounds suffocate us and you can feel the anguish and agony especially when those extremely fast tempo signatures hits like a plague.
The whole album is a sophomore effort, I can’t pick a weak song here. Let’s be honest, when a band is honest to themselves and their fans would you release a dodgy record just to make money or would you release a record that will linger in the minds of the fans? I believe CTT have really stepped up a notch and has created their darkest record so far with strong songwriting, easily this record will stamp it’s mark in the local and international scene. The album flows between the extreme side and experimental side with songs like the majestic “My Dying Throes” with the angelical voice taking us to another dimension or the anthemic “Harbinger, Scavenger” with the guest vocals of John Ryan from Suffer In Rot that blows the speakers with his signature growling and the chorus that makes you want to have a drink of ale or Guinness… hint hint!!
Overall a really strong record which will open more doors for this band, if the door was half open before I think this time it will be open wide. Hopefully this album does well in sales as I think there’s been a lot of sweat, guts and beers poured into this and it reflects where this is heading, hopefully the next one will be darker or probably more epic. It doesn’t matter, CTT has delivered a slab of metal for the delight to our ears! Now after reading this, get up and buy the album, you won’t regret it.
TRACKLIST
Fury Entwined
On Desolate Plains
Spirit Of Fire
Mantra
Where Night Passed & Sunlight Shone
Silence Beckoning
Windfall
This Agony Endured
My Dying Throes
Everblade
Harbinger, Scavenger
Of Creation
