Day of Reckoning
Day of Reckoning has more drive and variety than Pentagram's dark image might suggest. The band stay close to the blues and hard rock from which doom metal developed. This still sounds like a clear metal record: heavy riffs, a threatening voice and guitars that keep pushing the songs forward with purpose.
The title track provides a convincing start. Its short running time forces the band to get straight to the point. The riffs have a bounce that keeps even the gloomy atmosphere moving. Bobby Liebling sounds determined to make that threat personal, while Victor Griffin holds attention with his guitar work.
Broken Vows shows the grooving side of the band. It does not need to move especially quickly to generate momentum. Burning Saviour takes its time instead. Acoustic passages and heavy outbursts give the long composition a clear shape. The contrast raises the tension and makes the guitar solos part of its development. Here, Pentagram make their best use of space.
That approach is not equally effective everywhere. Some passages stay with their sounds and familiar ideas longer than necessary. The Black Sabbath references are also so clear that the album makes little effort to hide its roots. Anyone expecting a major step forward will mostly find a band using its established tools with greater confidence.
That is usually enough. The songs stay compact where possible and make room when it matters. Heavy grooves, recognisable riffs and Liebling's distinctive voice give Day of Reckoning considerable conviction. It is a strong doom record that does not need to remain slow to sound threatening.
