Label: Self released
Date: September 16th, 2022
Everyone was a goth in some moment in life. Who doesn’t love “The Addams family”, black colour and pentagrams all over the place? But goth is not just about that steampunk. It can also be a part of goth culture which should represent a specific idea, way of life and obsession with death. Maybe it’s a bad obsession (as the song says) but we will all meet with Madame Death one day.
Scarlet Oath promotes not just goth culture but extreme gothic scene with touches of doom and darkness. Their second album is called “Where Their Worm Dieth Not” and it’s full length. They are a fairly new band. Their first album was published in 2019 under the name “Blood and Fire”.
I like their name. Here is one Targaryen girl, so wherever fire or blood is mentioned I am pleased. Doom / gothic music for me, a few years ago, was something I thought I will never like but Scarlet Oath really changed my mind. No, it doesn’t have to be boring songs of twelve minutes and no it doesn’t have to be monotonous the entire time. To be honest I didn’t get and still don’t get the idea of that kind of genre but this album has it all in package. I would lie if I said that even here nothing is slow and doesn’t have that “doomy” vibe.
The first song, titled after the album, is the longest one. Good start for introduction, burning hell in all its glory. Slow and dramatic but with many variables during those twelve minutes. You feel like you’re listening to more than one song. A really good combination with narration and vocals makes it even better. The story, as I understood, is about Lucifer’s fall from heaven. Very colourful lyrics, dark, complex and scary. The keyboards give that dramatic vibe and specific melody.
“Ichabod” is one that reveals that Scarlet Oath is more extreme than we thought. Little similar to previous song but again a story for itself, “Ichabod” is the centre song of the album. Magnificent lyrics with biblical subject about Ichabod, an “inglorious” son who was born after his father’s death. Not just the lyrics but the whole song is really the best from entire album.
“The Howling” is also one presentation of important biblical coming of Christ, apocalypse, king of Zion Mountain, David, etc. One a bit monotonous song but with beautiful female vocals and guitar riffs. Dramatic in one hand as the rest of the album, it has a vibe of some glorious event. Scarlet Oath definitely made a good choice with these lyrics which are, in my opinion, the best part of the album and worthy of reading on their own. It’s not just darkness, Satan, hate or similar. It’s more complex and well-written like some Victorian poem.
“Cursed Earth” is closing the album and in the middle of the song real death metal is smashing the song. It reminded me of Dimmu Borgir on their first albums. Rhapsody of screams and drum blasting. Ah, that glorious extreme metal.
Surely not the first or the last band with biblical subjects in so-called “Christian metal”. Honestly, people on YouTube didn’t get the message of Scarlet Oath and no it doesn’t have to be sung in the name of Satan. There is the other side too.
The design on the cover picture is so pretty. Like the miniatures in medieval books represent the picture of subject actually. All three religions in one picture in scarlet Christian colour. It looks like orthodox fresco but also like presentation of Saints in old catholic churches with Romanic style. Really remarkable and one more proof that Scarlet Oath, like Orphaned Land, has all in package for being a great and important band.
