Pentagram album - Last Rites. Your Opinion?

[Kgb]

Its been years that Pentagram and Doom Metal Fans have been waiting for this album for years. It has been in the making for quite some time. The album released on 12th April and guys just been listening to the new Pentagram - Last Rites album and let me tell you I am not at all disappointed. It feels like they have picked from where they had left on Be forewarned album.

Bobby Liebling's voice and melody lines are just brilliant on this album and with Victor back in the fold the solos and the overall riffs remind you of the old Pentagram.

So far songs like "Everything's Turning to Night", "Horseman" and "Wind Mills and Chimes" have just stood out. However the entire album is quite a masterpiece.

So friends just let me know what you think of the new album from the legends themselves.

[sn0wb1ind0zzy]

I have only heard about six tracks but I have to say so far its pretty damn awesome. Bobby's vocals have substantially improved compared to "Show Em' How". Hell, this is probably his best vocal performance since "Be Forewarned", probably due to his new found sobriety no doubt in my mind. Victors guitar playing is simply incredible, and Greg is a pretty damn good bassist as well. I think they got Tom Tomaselli from Place Of Skulls to play drums on this album and he hits the drums HARD! I defiantly recommend this album to hard core doom fans, this could end up being the bands crowning jewel.

[Kgb]

Yeah true mate, Tomaselli is from Place of Skulls and he is a very good drummer. I overall also loved the production of the album. This one is one hell of an album. So far its probably my best for 2011 along with the Wino Adrift all acoustic album.

[SYMPTOMS of EVILWOMEN]

I love it!

[Icy Sun]

It's a darn good album.

Kgb, I agree with you that it's pretty much where Be Forwarned left off. It has a very similar sound. No doubt in part due to Victor's guitar harmonies which are prevalent on both albums.

But does anyone else agree with me that the intro to the song 8 is a little similar to the intro to Metallica's Battery?

[Kgb]

It's a darn good album.

Kgb, I agree with you that it's pretty much where Be Forwarned left off. It has a very similar sound. No doubt in part due to Victor's guitar harmonies which are prevalent on both albums.

But does anyone else agree with me that the intro to the song 8 is a little similar to the intro to Metallica's Battery?

Well Icy I don't find any similarity with the Metallica song.

[RobotOfDecay]

I'm still waiting impatiently for my CD (pre-ordered it from play.com in the UK which put it on at £6.99 but when the release date came they didn't get any in stock! Cancelled the order & re-ordered from amazon) but from the songs I've heard online this is gonna be a corker! I'm not familiar with their entire discography but echo the earlier sentiments that it almost carries on from where they left off with the Victor Griffin-era, but I would add with better production values and a more expansive sound, maybe courtesy of Victor's more seasoned songwriting style with Place of Skulls. And completely different from the dirgy Sub-Basement era where Joe Hasselvander played all the instruments (which I thought was musically awesome, but vocally below par) with a much healthier-sounding Bobby Liebling. Hopefully the start of a new era, as Pentagram could do with some stability in their line-up, but who knows?!

[VikingChrist]

Got my copy in the mail yesterday. It's a solid album. Not a classic but solid. Bobby is in good voice. Victor is Victor, always great. The songs are ok. It's more hard rock than doom, but that's ok by me. "American Dreams" kinda kills the flow. It would make a good Place of Skulls song, but doesn't really fit the Pentagram vibe and it's weird that all of the sudden Victor is singing lead vocals. The ballads are a little off because Bobby doesn't have a voice for ballads, but they aren't horrible. Easily the best thing they've released in years. Sobriety is your friend, Bobby. Remember that next time you're tempted to score some crack or dope. Drugs have fucked this band for 40 years, so try and keep it together this time.

[RobotOfDecay]

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/bla...sitemID=157080

Cool interview with Victor Griffin above about Last Rites for those interested. Listened to the album quite a few times now and I must say in my opinion it's their strongest album to date. I've got a lot of time for Pentagram but let's be honest, they've not got anywhere near the consistency & quality of, say Sabbath who put out after classic album after another.

But in terms of having good songs, well performed and well produced, this one does the job better than the others IMO. The first six songs are bloody brilliant, then broken up by American Dreams (with Victor Griffin taking over lead vocals) and 3 middling tracks before ending with another corker. Best album of the year for me so far.

[Kgb]

Nice interview man. Thanks.

[RobotOfDecay]

No worries man, just saw another one on blabbermouth with Liebling & Griffin:

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/bla...sitemID=157215

[Paulie 88]

I had already commented in another thread, just posting the link lest I seem repetitive.

http://www.black-sabbath.com/vb/show...&postcount=107

All the best,
PAULIE

[Icy Sun]

I had already commented in another thread, just posting the link lest I seem repetitive.

http://www.black-sabbath.com/vb/show...&postcount=107

All the best,
PAULIE

I love Call the Man, it's my fav off the album.

[Icy Sun]

After listening to it for a while, I don't think it's as good as I thought at first. One thing I've noticed, at least in my opinion, it's very front-loaded. The best tracks are Treat Me Right, Call the Man, Into the Ground, and Everything's Turning to night. That's 4 out of the first 5 tracks on an 11 track album! After track five, the quality dips and never picks back up to the level of the first half of the album.

[Sir Kenneth]

I very belatedly just bought this and I have to say I love it. I think this is the best the band has ever sounded production-wise and Bobby's best vocal performance in decades. My favourite tracks would be "8" (does anyone else think this is a very POS sounding track?), Treat Me Right, Death in First Person, Nothing Left, and Into the Ground. The only 2 track that doesn't do all that much for me "American Dream". I quite like Victor Griffin's voice and I'm a big fan of POS as well, but listening to this track, I just can't help but think that it would sound better with Bobby Liebling singing on it. It seems tailor made for his voice, so I have no idea why Griffin is singing on it...

[sn0wb1ind0zzy]

the only 2 track that doesn't do all that much for me "American Dream". I quite like Victor Griffin's voice and I'm a big fan of POS as well, but listening to this track, I just can't help but think that it would sound better with Bobby Liebling singing on it. It seems tailor made for his voice, so I have no idea why Griffin is singing on it...

In an interview, Victor said that they ended up regretting not having Bobby sing it but because Victor wrote it and due to time constants he sang it. I personally don't really dig the song that much because I really don't think a song with that much specific political commentary should be on a Pentagram album. I feel like that songs lyrics were very personal to Victor. That song would have been more appropriate for one of Victors solo albums.

[Kgb]

Yes your probably right right sn0w...Bobby should have sung that song too. Anyways all in all its a very solid album and I happy for both Victor and Bobby with all the reception they are getting during the live shows.