Call of Charon is ready for its next stage.
Active from 2006 to 2014 and since 2015, the band led by Patrick Kluge (vocals, Dypressive, ex-Bleeding Heaven), Arthur Solich (guitar), Tobias Finkl (guitar, Death Comes in Waves), Christoph Knobloch (drums) and Alex Voss (bass, Cadaver Disposal, Exumer, The Void’s Embrace, ex-Majesty) has signed with Massacre Records for the release of its second album, Tales of Tragedy.
The introductory sample Devil In The Darkness instantly establishes an ominous atmosphere, before giving way to the violence of We Are One (An Ode To Murder), the first straightforward and effective composition with merciless riffs, complemented by a few more mysterious tones. The vocal parts also adopt the same devastating approach, but the track becomes more jerky to make way for Ocean Grave and its slightly more worked keys, which eventually explode to become catchy, assuming their groovy Deathcore influences that punctuate the waves of rage. The same technique is used on the heady Suffer In Silence, where the musicians also use dissonant harmonics to darken certain passages, while the moshparts easily motivate their audience to stir before The Demon King speeds up the tempo. Double kick and frantic riffs compete under Patrick‘s roars, supporting the piercing leads which are also very effective in making the track even more lively, but there’s also an intense melodic moment shortly before we move on to Already Dead, which offers us a rather anxious interlude that allows us to breathe before Insomnia: Paranoia comes crashing down on us at full speed. The heaviness of the rhythm is contrasted by the sharp leads, but the two don’t hesitate to unite to create a syncopated sound, as on Words Of Separation, which comes next, with more modern samples in the background feeding a rather mysterious atmosphere, especially during the accelerations. They Come At Night then melts over us with a heavy approach, determined to suffocate us as it strikes relentlessly, chaining furious riffs together before finally giving way to One More Day, which takes on the heavy burden of the final track, mixing violent passages with some more striking and even melancholy moments that fit the band perfectly.
If you’re looking for Death Metal violence with a modern approach, Call of Charon is definitely the band for you! Drawing inspiration from renowned bands, the band proves with Tales of Tragedy that they are a rising force on the European scene.
90/100