Absolution – Divine Martyr (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

The worlds of heavy metal, for want of a better word, and those of a more symphonic and classical music have never been as far apart as people might think. Both have the ability to blend the grand and the graceful, the resonant and the sweeping, the anthemic with the deft and delicate. And all of that is at work in Absolution, the new single from Divine Martyr.

At just over eight minutes, Absolution allows itself time to pass through a number of sonic seasons, changing moods and musical landscapes, just as classical music does, wandering from lulling lows to sky-searing crescendos, musical breakdowns to lofty peaks.

And the addition of the cello helps move the band slightly beyond the normal metallic realms and into, perhaps, a place of more ornate and grandiloquent groove. That is not to say that the skills of the other three players aren’t remarkable, the more conventional rock instruments of choice – guitars, bass and drums – covering a lot of ground and their fullest sonic being explored. But it is the sweep of the cello that seems to make for a gorgeously emotive musical through line that weaves between and below and above and between and beyond these more expected sounds.

But more than the choice of instruments wielded, it is the way they are used that builds this bridge between these sonic worlds. Jason Hyde’s guitars move effortlessly between heavy riffing and shimmering solos, Woody Hughes uses his bass to pulse and propel but also add punctuation and poise, and if you ever thought that rock drummers were all about merely nailing four-four grooves to the floor, then Mark McKowen (also responsible for the overall orchestration of the piece) will make you think again. And then we have Olivia Guetle, whose twin attacks of fluid and florid cello and rich, powerful and resonating vocals are the icing on this musical cake.

Metal has all too often picked up a bad name for itself, thanks to the lowest common denominator bands who are just interested in volume and velocity, bombast and bravado. But Divine Martyr reminds us that it doesn’t have to be that way. You can take those same  sonic building blocks, plus perhaps one or two less standard ones, and create something that passes beyond the power of metal, the ornateness and evolving nature of even progressive rock and into a more sublime realm. A realm where suppleness and subtly blend with the drive and musical drama of the rock landscape into something that belongs in more rarefied, and classical-infused sonic pastures.