One man bands are a rarity in metal, a genre that’s primarily group based as opposed to other forms of music like pop, hip hop and even country where it can be common to see an artist run as a solo. One that springs to mind in metal though is Putrid Pile who I have seen live a couple of times, intriguing and mesmerizing and it somehow works for what he does. Divine Era however while similar in concept as far as being a one man band, sounds very much on record as if a fully fledged band were playing. On listening to his new album “Scripture Codes Summon Suicidal Thoughts“, there is a lot going on which begs belief on how it’s coming from just one man – Daisuke Wachi.
Japanese singer/guitarist Daisuke Wachi bases himself in Los Angeles where he has connected with some very well known cats in the rock and metal world, names such as Aaron Nordstrom from Gemini Syndrome and Kalen Chase from Vimic as well as being the replacement for Jake E. Lee in Mandy Lion’s WWIII. Combining powerful Pantera-esque riffs with melodic and at times, progressive styles, Divine Era’s third album “Scripture Codes Summon Suicidal Thoughts” is a stark reminder that good music can be created with the right amount of creativity and skill to capture the right ingredients in place.
Don’t be put off by the first track “Burn This Alley“, while it’s hell groovy, it’s also merely a warmup to the rest of the album and that really begins with the thrashy number “Bible And Gun” followed by the technical wizardry found in “I Am You“. The production is slick and vocally there’s range from Devin Townsend inspired operatic and gritty singalongs to thrashy growls mixed with a bit of clean.
“Defense And Choice” gets a little more groove on with it’s Lamb Of God inspired brutality, the chugging riffs searing across the track and putting some serious heat on. The more uptempo “Another Forgotten Face” is laden with high energy and then is contrasted brilliantly with the more sludgey tempo of “Slow Departure“. This one definitely has a modern prog element to it too with some fairly intricate fills but also lets you forget the fact that it’s the one guy that’s still running this show.
The 8 minute juggernaut of “Failure” is far more interesting than the similarly lengthed album opener with a ton of melodic passages and a fair bit of switching up that blends together quite seamlessly. The album ends with a more laid back vibe in “Vanity Of Vanities” with it’s southern rock feel injected into it’s heavy groove and moments of thrash. It’s an almost surprising but damn near perfect way to end a killer piece of work that’s definitely going to be hitting the playlists regularly in 2018.
TRACKLIST
Burn This Alley
Bible and Gun
I am You
Defense And Choice
Another Forgotten Face
Slow Departure
Hatred > Love
Visitors of Time
Justified Love
Failure
Vanity of Vanities
