Description
On their debut Sacrifice Doth Call five-song mini-album, the U.K.’s Phaëthon carry the torch for classic, epic heavy metal!
When the global lockdown related to the Coronavirus began in March 2020, Phaëthon vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Vrath found himself isolated and out of excuses — this was the time to start the metal band he always envisioned. He had been gathering riffs and ideas for nearly 20 years but never had the right opportunity to unleash them upon the metal world. There was always something standing in the way — other bands, real-life and his relentless drive for perfection. Holed up in his home studio in London, Vrath (who originally hails from Finland) spent countless hours every day going through his old ideas. Soon, full-bodied, fleshed-out songs started to form. He started working on his vocals, convinced there was no one else worthy to sing these songs. His co-conspirator, bassist Aees, laid down his tracks in Greece. Drummer Herr Berthelsen recorded session drums. And thus, Phaëthon was spawned during the great plague of
2020.
The resultant Sacrifice Doth Call five-song mini-album is a spirited salvo to the spirit of classic, timeless metal. Appropriate tribute is paid to the likes of Manilla Road, Bathory and Cirith Ungol, as well as NWOBHM legends Pagan Altar, Satan and Judas Priest. However, Phaëthon’s music is raw, uncompromising, ultimately firmly in touch with metal’s tried-and-true formula of good riffs and killer vocals almost always equal great songs.
The name Phaëthon was chosen as it wonderfully represents the lyrical matter found on Sacrifice Doth Call. As Vrath tells it, the tale of Phaëthon is that of a bastard son of a mere mortal and Helios, the Sun God. Helios promises to grant Phaëthon one wish, which turns out to be for the brat, in his hubris, to take reins of the sun chariot. The whole shebang ends with the sun nearly destroying the Earth and Zeus having to interfere with a thunderbolt. It is this interaction between men and the gods that the lyrics explore.
The Sacrifice Doth Call album title takes a line from Shakespeare, “doth,” ultimately translating as “sacrifice calls.” The title relates to how mankind is welcoming victims and suspects to the acts gods — do we, perhaps, protest too much when a young man ends up killing millions out of youthful folly? In mythology, the Phatheon character is applauded for his bravery even in the wake of the countless loss of life. But, humanity is ultimately a pawn in the games that the gods play. Vrath echoes the words of Feuerbach: “God did not, as the Bible says, make man in His own image; on the contrary, man-made God in his
own image.”
Currently assembling a full lineup in the U.K., it is a simple matter of time before Phaëthon unleashes their brand of old-school metal with an epic persuasion upon unsuspecting audiences. For now, Sacrifice Doth Call is a mere taste of what’s to come…
TRACKLIST
1. Sacrifice Doth Call
2. Suncrater
3. Bless Us, O Ra
4. To The Gallows
5. The Final Beholder
GENRE: Epic Metal
BARCODE: 8054529000715
