Customer Reviews

Emissaries

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Melechesh have released a massive, rib-splitting brick of Metal with "Emissaries." Excellent guitar riffs and powerful and precise drumming. I've owned this for about 3 weeks, and have listened multiple times. Not, and I mean not one bad song here. This is an onslaught of bone-jarring Metal from the opening note. The only reprieve is the song, "Scribes of Kur". A beautiful, atmospheric middle-eastern melody with fantastic use of hand drums and other foreign instruments. On this song, my mind's eye takes me to a street in Israel or Palestine. Where there are vendors selling their wares and smoking hashish. Where beautiful veiled women congragate and float around. This music is called "blackened thrash" I guess so, but I don't get caught up in genre labeling. It's well worth your time and money. Top-of the- line Metal musicianship and class production. Get this, I assure you will not be disappointed. Peace.

Melechesh play blackened thrash metal. Emissiaries should be a mandatory purchase for any one who considers themselves a true metalhead. The songs are deep and layered. And has everything that is great about metal. Although the harsh vocals may turn some people off, this a extreme metal release. The musicianship on all fronts is amazing and always captivating. Never sounding stale are repetitive. Return of the nemesis starts the cd off. And displays their ability to write deep,complex, and captivating songs briallintly. Starting out of the gates blazing then going through many stages throughout the song all the while remaining engaging and capitivating throughout no small feat considering the song is over six minutes long, a mini epic. The rests of the songs have many twist and turns too and are just as brilliant. My favorites are return of the nemesis,deluge of delusional dreams,ladders to sumeria,double helixed sceptre, and leper jerusalem. simply put emissiaries is a modern metal classic and should not be overlooked by any self-respecting metalhead. A rare effort that while staying true to the metal underground and its conviction is so exceptional it should be able to be enjoyed and appreciated by any one who is a metalhead with a open mind.

This album will chew you up and spit you out. I've been listening to this CD for months now and it's still fresh. There isn't really anything else like it. Imagine what it would sound like if a couple of Middle Eastern guys invented black metal - not to say that all the guys in this band hail from that region, but you get the point.

What really makes this CD stand out to me (other than the almost exclusive use of Eastern scales and cord patterns) is that Melechesh refuse to do anything cliche on this release - with the rather pleasant exception of The Scribes of Kur, which after listening to Rebirth of the Nemesis any metal enthusiast could have predicted. Other than that, it's bold, yet never self-indulgent, and straight forward.

Honestly, if you're into any kind of extreme metal, you have to listen to this. For me, Melechesh is at the top of the black metal field right now. If you can make it through Rebirth of the Nemesis or Leper Jerusalem without want to set something on fire, then you shouldn't bother with any quality music. Go back to listening to Underoath or Metalica.

I think "blackened thrash" is a good fast way to describe it. The riffs and vocals are a mix between black and thrash metal, but this CD does go much deeper than that. They have a great atmospheric quality to it that really makes this an interesting listen. Great production for this style and nice use of other instruments.

The cd is a scorcher that starts with the best song...you'll know if you'll like this cd (and you will) as soon as you hear the first song. Hopefully this CD gets the attention it deserves - it's definitely a 5 and will be one my favorites of 2007.

These guys call their type of metal Mesopotamian metal because their music and lyrics incorporate Mesopotamian, Samerian and occult themes in their music and lyrics. These guys do have an original sound because of their blend of mid eastern music with metal which doesn't old or cheesy, they create most of the mid eastern sounds with their guitars and drums rather than using traditional instruments.

You will be banging your head and getting pumped up right from the first song all the way until the 7th song which is an acoustic slow mid eastern instrumental which is a good break but then after that the speed picks up again until the end. There are actually 11 songs on this disc and it's another instrumental but this time it's not acoustic.

I have their other cd Sphynx and I like it but this is easily 100 times better. I only listen to a few bands that have harsh or raspy vocals and this is one of them because they have such a good original sound. I would recommend this cd to any metal fan who wants to hear something different but still rocks.

I really like this album. I put this in my car stereo and have never taken it out (except for a couple of rounds of old Leaves Eyes to cleanse the palate), I've given this to other people that listen to black/thrash/epic metal and they love it.
Personally, this otherwordly sound is intoxicating. I saw this band listed in a thread and checked them out on Youtube and saw their video for "Genies, Sorcerer's and Arabian Nights" and I was like, Yeah! this is my cup of tea!
Well, I decided not to get that album because based on the rec's, I decided to start out with Emissaries first.
I have since downloaded Epigenesis. Fantastic, what I've heard so far. Can't wait to contemplate it!!
If you are hesitating to buy this album, don't. You will be highly pleased, this is especially if you like epic, regional, blackened metal. It is fantastic!!!

When I first heard this recording, I was stunned and very pleased. In fact, nearly wore out the CD afterward. Then, I loaned it to someone, foolishly, and never got it back. So, I will be buying this one again. What a fine work. The mood is captivating. The guitars compliment the exotic rhythms. So, someone has finally added a new and creative sound to the Black Metal genre. Instead of the sometimes boring and repetitive sounds of traditional Black metal, these guys are really talented. I cannot wait for the next recording. Hopefully, they will be touring in the Southwest, but I doubt it. Texas has been known for having a strong metal base. Maybe, we will get lucky.

One of the best black metal albums ever. The middle-eastern influence on strings and the Mesopotamian lyrical themes set Melechesh apart from your standard metal band; their fist-pumping, head-snapping, metal-frown-inducing grooves put them three cuts above. "Emissaries" is required listening for any metalhead worth his or her salt.

This brings a big smile when I hear this. Fun and interesting. It's no wonder Proscriptor and Andy LaRoque click. Melechesh own. Nile comparisons must not be heeded. Melechesh are not that similar. I think Sphinx better still, but this is new in my rotation. Anyway, the music is again an amalgam of Black Metal,Death Metal, & Thrash metal, bound together seamlessly with their Near East influences. Hightly recommended for the EXTREME metal head.

I keep phrases like that to a minimum... few bands have ever earned a 5-star mark from me. I'm VERY picky. I don't like most death metal, and fewer still black metal bands.

This album holds it's own with anything Enslaved, even Ensiferum has released. The album has a excellent pacing, it's not a sudden down-the-hill blitzkrieg that I hate with most death metal bands. There's space in all the songs for the guitars to develop and develop they do. The songs slither between mid-eastern two-step beats into western 4/4. There's other time sigs thrown in on various songs, but it's a perfect blend of western metal with eastern music. There's a couple of instrumental tracks that use traditional instruments.

There's plenty of speed--just intelligent speed.

The record label was selling this from their website before christmas last year, so I've had this now for about 3 months... and it hasn't left my player nor playlist.