Dies Irae – Sculpture of Stone / 2004 Metal Mind / 9 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/diesiraepl / http://www.metalopolis.pl / Reviewed 15 October 2006

Dies Irae plays a brutal style of metal that is not remorseful in the least. With each track on “Sculpture of Stone”, it seems as if Dies Irae shucks away any slack present in the band and proceeds to rock hard than anyone thought possible.

This is the case from when the band starts out with “Beyond All Dimensions”, and the band does not lighten up just because they are closing down the disc, as is the case with the final (and title) track. The band had an album on Metal Blade, which shows that individuals all over the world sayw the talent that the band was bringing to the table. However that was in 2002 and this album was released in 2004. I am unsure what happened in the last two years of the band’s life to merit this shift, but there is nothing present in the tracks on “Sculpture in Stone” to show that Dies Irae is week in any way. This is death metal at its finest, and while individuals may not be able to understand what is being sung by the lead vocalist, one can get a good idea of what ey is talking about with the raw power and fury that is a hallmark of each of their tracks. The flow of the disc is very amenable to fans; one can just see the path that Dies Irae takes in the creation of a full experience with their “Sculpture of Stone”. The band is a cohesive unit, with the guitars, drums, and vocals all throwing in whenever they need to. There is no weakness shown in these compositions; Dies Irae is machine-like in their music, and it is desirable when it comes to the breakneck speed of the band throughout the entirety of this album.

The band does not have any credits beyond this album, so here’s to hoping that they will come out with something new in the near future. The wide-open guitars of a track like “Trapped in the Emptiness” seem to play on the mid-eighties sounds of an Iron Maiden, while the gruff edge that Dies Irae bring to that come from a much newer tradition. Dies Irae creates a strong metal album that still sounds current, even if the disc is over two years old; grab a copy of “Sculpture of Stone” and be prepared to rock the hell out.

Top Tracks : Unrevealed By Words, The Beginning of Sin

Rating: 6.9/10

[JMcQ]