Album Review: Cainites – Revenant (Scarlet Records)

Two vampire priests have risen from the deepest blackness: through their dark, gloomy melodic death metal – heavily influenced by the British and Scandinavian masters with a creepy Mediterranean twist – Cainites create their own mystique, portraying the bloody mark they have to carry.

Revenant is a concept album about an old Orthodox priest who became a vampire against his will. A controversial, cruel and yet fascinating character, oscillating between a sense of abandonment by the divine and the manifestation of a faith that is still present, with continuous pleas to God to stop him from his relentless bloodshed – yearning for a redemption that cannot be reached.

Revenant will be released on June 21st, 2024, via Scarlet Records.

It doesn’t get more gothic than vampires, now does it? Cainites certainly don’t think so, and by combining strong gothic vibes with melodic death metal, they create something quite inhuman sounding. As the record unveils itself, you’ll find yourself hypnotised as though you have gazed in the eyes of a vampire on the prowl. Blood will be split.

An impressively creative record that fully captures the flesh and spirit of the story that Cainites are trying to tell. Each track is steeped in horror, frighteningly intense, but with layers of melody that add glamour to the wicked experience on offer. There’s plenty for the freaks to enjoy, but there’s also plenty for those who just want to hear class melodic death metal too.

A heavy focus with a delectable evil chorus comes from Darkness Awaits, before they let loose with some racing guitars and hefty drums on Theotokos. Hell, this track even has a solo, and it’s a damn fine one. It will make you feel deliciously sinful for hearing it.

The sins just keep on coming though, as does the horror, as Cainites bring the weight of lost faith down upon us with the twisted heaviness of Vampire God and the commanding riffing of God’s Wrath. Both tracks have bright infusions of melody that enhance the atmosphere strongly too. Then along comes a hellacious example of Cainites tempo twisting and ability to be darkly anthemic with We Lost Our Sanctity. Before Forgive Our Sins gives us big gothic organs to really enhance the feeling of being damned.

The more time spent in the company of Cainites and Revenant, the more they, and it, takes hold. While this album isn’t telling a story about wanting to be a creature of the night, it sure showcases the virality of the experience. Holding the attention firmly right to the end with several more powerful efforts. Namely, the diabolic self-titled track and its infusion of blackness, the thick atmosphere that lays over Embrace, the epic Forsaken, a track that will make you fall to your knees and beg for absolution, and finally, Redemption. Cainites ending the album with something hopeful, but oh so heavy, and ending their story in emphatic fashion.

Cainites – Revenant Track Listing:

1. Darkness Awaits
2. Theotokos
3. Vampire God
4. God’s Wrath
5. We Lost Our Sanctity
6. Forgive Our Sins
7. Cainites
8. Embrace
9. Forsaken
10. Redemption

Links

Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Scarlet Records