Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
A prediction is, on the face of it, an easy statement to declare, after all there is usually at least a fifty percent chance that you will be right if you think it through, the odds, permutations, is nothing short of watching two boxers slug it out and having a cash incentive on the winner; then as the successful boxer’s arm is lifted and the crowd cheers, you can earnestly say, and appear sage like in the act, that you predicted the outcome.
A prophecy though is made in the dark, it is the strain of human thought, of pushing boundaries and thinking of all the consequences of actions taken by leaders, by politicians, of the events that unfold, it is why Nostradamus may not make you as much money as the person behind the counter when they pass you the stamped betting slip, but they altogether illuminate human behaviour in a sharper and more telling light.
For Division: Dark, Prophecy is not only about the means of showing the self-expression of a debut album filled with epic sounding tracks and melodies that fly higher than a caged bird released into the sunlight, but also about judgement, of verdict, and of sentence, after all a prediction is a tame way of foretelling the final result, the Prophecy in this case is Earth-shattering, it is a pulse, energetic, soul tearing, deep, filled with angst and the sense of being one step from accepting obliteration; this is a verdict upon us all, and it fascinating to hear and be overwhelmed by.
This first full-length album by the band is gracious, but also damning, and as tracks such Twisted Game, The Art In The Artificial, (They’re All) Hypocrites, Still Meinen Durst, Bound Together, and Bevor Wir Wieder reach their ultimate crescendo, as special guests such as Anne Lux, Eric Fish, Chris Pohl, Frank Herzig, Schattenmann, and Scarlet Dom bring their own sense of natural progression to the proceedings, the heavy sound doesn’t just introduce itself calmly on the doorstep of time, it knocks down the door, gate crashes the party, and instantly gains respect for its size, structure, and conclusions.
Days of darkness are always upon us, it is how we react to the prophecy that sees us successfully adapt and issue our own decree of what is to unfold; and in this case, in the shadow of an excellent debut, the Prophecy is compellingly taken note of.
Division: Dark release Prophecy on February 11th.
Ian D. Hall