Sometimes a really cool find just falls into your lap. Such is the case with French band Apocryphal and their new album Facing the End. Now admittedly I knew nothing about the group, but when pressing play, these ears perked right up. This was largely due to the powerhouse vocals of legendary Soilwork frontman, Björn ‘Speed’ Strid, who is featured on all tracks on the record. This scribe has always loved his vocals, always will. “All Is Empty” is and was 100% the clear-cut favorite and that feeling gets stronger with each listen.
The melodic death metal train keeps on rolling with “He Forgot You” and this number features some fierce guitar melodies thanks to the duo of Didier Maurice and Sylvain Champenois. Disc opener “Smells Like the End of the World” shows a band on a bludgeoning mission. Meanwhile, “It Wasn’t So Complicated” takes the heavy and cranks it up a notch, Sébastien Bazille (bass) and Stéphane Maurice (drums) going full bore hell bent on some chest-thumping grooves. “Plague Doctor” is a decidedly dark number that takes you on a seven-minute journey to metal greatness.
“My Hero Inside” is arguably the heaviest track on a disc full of them. One thing’s for sure, though, this was my other favorite no question. With just the right combination of melody and punch there’s no way not to love this tune. More thundering drum rhythms adorn “Just Behind” and the same holds true for “Swallow My Lies,” Strid singing and screaming his ass off like a man possessed. Meanwhile “Taste My Hate” takes the gauntlet thrown down by the last song and runs with it. Another favorite for sure!
The CD closes with a bonus track “From Depths” and it’s a pretty heavy tune. As I said earlier, I knew nothing about the group going in, but this was definitely a welcome find. Apocryphal’s Facing the End comes highly recommended from yours truly.
Standout Tracks: “From Depths”, “Taste My Hate”, “All Is Empty”, “He Forgot You”, “Swallow My Lies”.