BATTLE PATH – Ambedo [2015 Blindspot]

Battle Path – Ambedo (2015, Inherent Records)

From Tennessee, the Doom metal meets Black metal five piece Battle Path is a superbly well fitted band to play with Indian or Bell Witch. Walking alongside the two aforementioned genres that through recent years have been blended more and more together, their doom metal could be at time Funeral doom and their black metal a bit crusty on the side. It makes for a mix of many complementary genres.

The 44 minutes of this album are used with such efficiency that it makes it a huge blindspot of 2015 for anyone who passed away from it. I must admit to have not having heard of Battle Path prior to the release of Ambedo. But the release of this latest record convinces me that I missed an important band that has immense potential. The groove of ‘’A Thirst For Blood’’ and its movement in an aggressive mid tempo destruction is constructed with circumvolutions and a great use of atmosphere and ambient elements.

Finally, Ambedo’s six songs are a relentless demonstration of mastery of the key elements that makes Wolves in the Throne Room’ and Neurosis’ heir what it should be. One would put that Battle Path enters in a certain underground trend of doom/black blend with drones and a flair for ambient music but a genre or the explosion of a genre doesn’t always mean that the albums that are taking part of the wave that are not outstanding or enjoyable. In this case, we have a record that could have made my year end list of 2015.

8.3