For once, the marketing text for this release is actually true or at least pretty close to it. "The dark sinister face of traditional thrash metal!" This actually sounds like it came from the late 1980s or the early 1990s. Anyways, German (from Thuringia region) band Buried God released only one full length album during their existence. The album, 'Dark Revelation', came out in 2003. In 2004, they decided to split up, because they coudn't find suitable drummer. A fucking voluminous SHAME!!! What the hell am I whining for, they are gone and that's it! I think it is better not to have another metal album with a drums machine ruining everything.

Words "German", "traditional" and "thrash" surely invoke some names in your brains, right?! Kreator, Destruction, Sodom... Surely, but I have to say, that Buried God did not sound like a counterpart of those stalwarts, at least not on 'Dark Revelation'. Maybe here and there, but Buried God boosted up their offensive thrash with death metal elements as well as with traditional heavy metal stuff. The band knew how to handle dark, evil melodies without getting into "bogeyman" territory. Sometimes, authentic thrash attacks are suddenly followed by twin guitar harmonies, like during the band's title song. 'Hunger' is Griffin (US) cover and a very energetic it is, too. Nicely "modernised", so to speak. Drumming is more brutal than usually on a thrash metal platter, being the strongest, albeit not the sole death metal factor. Double kick drums firing away a lot, but expect a lot of different arsenal! And hey, that clearly was a pagan metal riff there... A metal head like me, who's digging a bit of every kind of metal, can't but enjoy this mixture.

I have to say, that also the guitar and the bass are played skillfully, yet everything is raw as it should be. No sloppiness to be heard here. Guitar solos can be warp speed, but also memorable. The sound is raw and atmosphere is also added with slight reverb, but all the instruments are well discernable. Vocals are a tad powerless, even though there's really anything from black metal shrieks to growl and from spoken words to shouting and gang vocals. But the main style, grunt/growl, feels a bit lame. Maybe I should blame the general energy level of the music and performance, so I think the issue with the vocals is a minor one. Lyrics are good at times, and there's some variety in them too, as they include mythological themes (my faves!) and real life based stuff.

'Dark Revelation' is a revelation indeed. One great platter of dark thrash metal boosted up with various metal music elements. There is nothing modern here, but still it all feels kind of fresh. Might sound old, but also offers a big array of thrills. At least this sole full length album from Buried God should be filed under "must check out" by every single thrash-head. This is METAL. Well, Thuringia region is known for its long mining traditions... Buried? Sadly. Gods? Not really, they weren't quite pioneers, hehe.

Rating: 8- (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
07/04/2008 21:44