Rating: 6.7

Country: France

Release Date: 2005

Record Label: Final Chapter Records

Track list:
1. Hell Of Witchfinder
2. Doom Revelation
3. Absolution
4. Don’t Burn The Witch
5. Dark Wild Lady
6. Dark Side Of The Seventies
7. Ride With The Dragon

Band Website: Rising Dust

Rising Dust - Rising Dust

David- Guitars, Vocals
Steff- Bass
Malek- Drums

Well this is a bit disappointing. After catching on to the clamorous, surmountable buzz surrounding this record, I was overjoyed to discover this record at my local used record store for a paltry 8 Canadian buckaroos. Consistent comparisons to Cathedral, Witchfinder General, Pale Divine and Count Raven had me salivating at the get-go, and my intense anticipation was stoked further by excellent reviews in all the doom rags of note. Maybe I'm missing the plot here, but all I really hear in this platter is above-average, blatantly straightforward doom that vacillates between near-brilliance and utterly unimaginative redundancy, hindered largely by the rather grating vocals (an edgy, coarse melodic rasp that strives for Christian Lindersson theatrics, complete with thick French accent)and unadventurous musicianship. It all comes across as a lesser version of Pale Divine's first record, which in itself is not half as accomplished as their second, though this record lacks the openness, spaciousness and magnetic chemistry that made that record's shortcomings seem rather negligible. On this record, the flaws are gaping and glaringly obvious, unvarnished by nifty instrumental accoutrements.

Opener “Hell Of Witchfinder” kicks things off in convincing enough fashion, employing a somewhat formulaic, but convincingly-delivered -and-phrased Crybaby-drenched loose riff that is flogged for the better part of the first two and half minutes before shifting into a deliberate 'Ethereal Mirror' groove that warms the neck muscles up in anticipation. Suitably effective solos punctuate and accent each section that features in this quasi-progressive offering, and it all works out for the most part, despite the somewhat monochromatic efforts put forth by the rhythm section. It all looks promising, then, but in all earnesty I can't help but feel as though “Doom Revelation” is some sort of badly constructed inside joke, a meat and potatoes Count Raven ripoff track that even manages to recycle the hook from “True Revelation” to ill effect. NO idea what was going on there, for as a Count Raven tribute track it's pretty tepid. Thankfully, “Absolution” makes up for it all, a dirty, raunchy, sweaty shuffle that shifts into a nefarious, morose Peaceville Pentagram crawl before moving seamlessly into another mid-period Cathedral stomp. The problem with it all, though, is however great some of this stuff gets, all of it is very much hindered by the inadequacies of the rhythm section, the basslines always adhering far too closely to the guitars to assert its own distinctive personality in the mix (I mean, come on! This is a power trio we're talking about here!) and the drummer somehow failing to impress enough open swing and groove to the proceedings to really articulate and amplify the heads-down, hip-shaking intentions of the more rocking sections. Without the instrumental prowess to really encapsulate and express the raucous, loose feel that they so clearly strive for, the band often fall short of their laudably ambitious ideas, stifled by the vehemently in-the-pocket approach employed by all musicians present. I could really do with a little looseness, a little sloppiness, a lot more character here, so that the droning, repetitious riffs could gain some kind of personality instead of dragging the record down.

Of course, to suggest that this is a bad record would be erroneous, it does offer some credibly enjoyable moments. “Don't Burn The Witch” is by and large an enjoyable affair, a slowed down Rainbow/Dio-Sabbath meets “Electric Funeral” ditty that reminds of Spiritus Mortis and Grand Magus' more accomplished moments. The track also features the most successful lead break on the record, a confidently played, brief and suitably soulful solo that really should have been elongated at the expense of part of the concluding section. “Dark Wild Lady” utilizes the same 'Holy Diver' meets 'Mob Rules' blues-metal approach to achieve slightly less impressive results, the surmounting rawk'n'rawr goodness of the album being stilled by the tedious, monochromatic progressions that the band dwells on for far too long. “Ride With The Dragon”, then, proves itself the finest of the Dio-flavored numbers featured on this platter, really echoing a healthy affinity for both 'Long Live Rock N'Roll' and 'Heaven & Hell' in its bludgeoning, ponderous epic doom edge. Wish the synths could have been developed further here (they play a fringe supportive role here, merely copying root melodies as the bass does, though they do add an interesting texture to the track), they could have added more depth and dimension to the proceedings, and reinforced the strong Blackmore influence here. Closing out with a lumbering, believably Iommi-esque hum, the taste left by this record is, to their credit, a thoroughly sweet one.

Pretty inconsistent stuff, then, and a record that I hesitate to recommend, unless you happen to be an avid Grand Magus and Pale Divine fan, and happen to find this buried within the dregs of your local used record store. There certainly are enough good ideas contained within this record to warrant more spins on my end, but I really do wish that the band could have done justice to the well-placed intentions of these ideas. A bit more thought and a bit more imagination could have made a world of difference with this one, and it is my hope that they offer a more interesting and complete record on the next go-around. Until then, this remains somewhat derivative and unsatisfying.

May 4th, 2006