Album Review: Heretic ”“ Words To Epilogues

Heretic

[easyreview cat1title=”Words To Epilogues” cat1rating=”3″]

It’s been six years coming, but Heretic manages to finally get their first full-length album out. The long wait isn’t the only reason to hear Words To Epilogues, though. The band gives a nod to their previous heavy thrash metal influences fusing them with straight-up progressive metal.

On “Alone” vocalist Akhil Unnikrishnan even displays some Carnatic vocal prowess [purely accidental, as we learnt from the guitarist Abhijit Namboodiripad] he sings the chorus to palm-muted riffs. Unnikrishnan does a good job of throwing the occasional growl when you least expect it. On the Sepultura-meets-prog-rock “Bleed To Heal,” Heretic offers straight-up metal in its rawest forms. “Slaves and the System” tries too hard with its lyrics, ending up as just another angst-ridden anthem against the system.

Where Heretic do excel is at constructing compositions. With the exception of “Slaves and the System,” every song clocks in at over four minutes. The six-minute “Choice” holds it all together despite being more melodic rock than metal; their five-minute lead single “Thoughts” is heavy and catchy in equal parts. Even the seven-minute title track “Words To Epilogues” doesn’t feel very long because it’s punctuated with a good mix of heavy and mellow sections. To write longer compositions and stitch it all together cohesively is a skill that can take Heretic far.

Buy Heretic’s Words To Epilogues on OK Listen! here.