Rating: 8.8

Country: Puerto Rico

Release Date: 2005

Track list:
1. Intro Tiempo De Calma
2. La Tempestad
3. Cronicas De La Muerte Negra
4. Morir De Pie
5. Mi Venganza
6. Dantesco- I. Dantesco II. El Amanecer De Las Almas III. Paisaje Dantesco
7. Traidor
8. Principe De Valaquia
9. Oda Al Fin Del Mundo
10. Ataca La Bestia
11. Pavor Nocturnus

Band Website: Dantesco

Dantesco - De La Mano De La Muerte

Ramon De Jesus- Bass, classical guitar
Daniel Ortiz- Lead guitar, acoustic guitar
Erico La Bestia- Vocals
Joel Carrasquillo- Lead guitar
Diablo- Drums

Man, I live for this sort of thing! The agenda here is dramatic, sweepingly ambitious Messiah-led Candlemass/Solstice-schooled doom metal crossbred with literate, melodically-expressed dark power doom of the post-Messiah Candlemass/King Diamond/Memento Mori variety. What results, of course, is one of the most exciting and dynamic guitar-oriented listens you'll have all year, a record chock-full of breathtakingly accomplished progressive songwriting, exceptionally literate solos, fantastic double-tracked vocal harmonies and RIFFS UP THE WAZOO.

It truly pleases me that something as cool as this is coming of Puerto Rico, and it pleases me even more that this record has succeeded in winning my jaded self over, considering I picked this up as a blind purchase after checking the band's website out. Everything is of terrific quality here- the production is full bold and NATURAL, though admittedly the drum production did sound somewhat subdued on a few of the systems I spun it in, guitars are EXTREMELY rich, which works considering how guitar-oriented this record really is, vocal production is perfect, really bringing out the vigor and dynamism within Erico La Bestia's beauty/beast delivery. The songwriting! Oh what songwriting! Exquisitely melodic, simultaneously gorgeous, graceful and utterly despondent/crushing, presenting the same alluring musical dichotomy as your favorite Candlemass, Fates Warning and King Diamond records.

Indeed, the riffcraft and superbly distinguished leads of both guitarists here resemble the likes of Larocque/Wead much more so than the inimitable Denner/Shermann, in that the leads are more contemplative and meditative, providing a thoughtful contrast to the driving surge/crunch of the verse passages. Also, this is decidedly less demonic and unsettling than Mercyful Fate, which really makes me question the Fate comparisons that have arisen numerous times over in Dantesco reviews, the music exuding a more lyrical, linear quality that makes me question if Erico's lyrics are as fixated with storytelling as that of a certain diminutive Dane. There is a very evocative, emotionally involving quality to this music that will certainly strike a chord among both Spanish speakers and those alien to the language, the music echoing the same sense of melancholy and moroseness (without sinking into self-loathing pathos) as 'Nightfall' era Candlemass while flaunting a tremendous agility and virtuosity that wouldn't be out of place on a modern day Root album, the Zoser Mez debut, Memory Garden's latest, or Adramelch's 'Irae Melanox' masterpiece.

Highlights are numerous, from the opener “La Tempestad's” myriad of moods, tempos and OUTSTANDING RIFFS (9 minutes of orgiastic guitar work, really) to the heartrending darkness/light, serenity/chaos struggle of “La Tempestad” (check out that LUSH acoustic/classical guitar bridge that precedes THAT stampeding, furious torrent of riffs and THAT brilliant, shredding solo) and the serpentine, sinister 3 part epic “Dantesco” (complete with classical Spanish guitar/strings interlude that does NOT SUCK!). Admittedly, the record is a little hard to stomach at one go, considering its formidable length, but in all honesty, the songwriting is easily varied and nuanced enough, the melodies developed enough, and the textures engaging enough to make this a FAR more tantalizing proposition than its length may suggest. EVERYTHING is consummate here, each musician playing firmly within the boundaries of the song and adding his own splash of color to a highly artful and enriching musical experience. Truly, it brings a tear to my eye to know that bands of this caliber still exist in this age of mass-marketed, mass-produced tripe (check out that spiraling, totally unconventional twin-guitar part 02:10 through closer “Pavor Nocturnus”…so cool!).

An absolute winner, really, and a considerable surprise what with the band/label's utter obscurity. If you like Memento Mori, Memory Garden, Thunder Rider, Sacred Oath, King Diamond, Hammers Of Misfortune and other uber-cool bands of that variety, I would suspect that you'd find much to enjoy here, PLUS you get bragging rights among fellow metalheads for unearthing such a heretofore-unknown gem!

November 29th, 2005