Escarion chose 2021 to release its first album.
Created some years ago in Australia, the band is composed of John Arhondis (vocals/guitar), Tommy Lewko (guitars), Rhys McKenzie (bass) and Tim Bottams (drums) for the release of Pillars of the Faith.
We begin with Inferno, a deeply Death Metal-anchored song, but which easily lets reflect some Black Metal influences, after an enchanting introduction. The sound is heavy, catchy and riffs are well-built, letting no dead time. Then the band develops the seven deadly sins through several influences for each song. Envy is fast and vicious with an Old School sound, Gluttony is more weighing and picks into Doom/Death, Lust wears beautiful leads on a warlike basis, then Greed offers a soaring and heavy sound, completed by unstoppable riffs and blast beats. Some softer harmonics easily alight on the rhythmic, then the long Pride offers a majestic sound dubbed by some kind of languor and ambient sonorities, between samples and leads. Wrath inevitably accelerates the tempo and picks into vindictive Thrash/Death to strike. Sloth, the last of the set, is quite violent but also full of softer elements, like a melody in the background, breaks or dissonant leads. Home (Where the Heart is), the last song, falls upon us without a warning after a catchy introduction, then riffs lacerate us. The song picks into every previous influences for a rich composition that we rediscover every time.
For a first album, Escarion offers us quality! Pillars of the Faith uses numerous influences to make each composition a unique piece, that perfectly slot to the previous one while having its own identity.
90/100