Novoy Zavet
Apocalypse

February 2010
Released: 2009, Stormspell Records
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: Luxi Lahtinen

Russian doom… Not something you hear every day, I suppose. Novoy Zavet (meaning New Testament), this 3-piece Russian act, does not exist any more, but they released 3 albums (HALLELUYAH in 1991, EXORSIST in 1992 – and their latest, APOCALYPSE in 1994) before they were buried unceremoniously.



Now the band´s latest album APOCALYPSE (the only album with the English song titles, and sung in English) has been re-released again through Stormspell Records as re-mastered by Igor Samoylov, after 15 years since its original release. There´s no need to say even, but everyone who has been hunting all these rare, hard-to-find items down for years, subscribe to the hard fact that Stormspell Records is really doing a fine job by bringing these rare metal gems out to the daylight again. Novoy Zavet´s APOCALYPSE, is naturally one of those releases.



APOCALYPSE contains 7 songs + intro of traditional, in-yer-face doom metal spiced with heavy metal overtones, into vein of early Solitude Aeturnus, Candlemass, Memory Garden and the like. Novoy Zavet does their own thing well on this record, having a good grip on catchy, melodic, strong and heavy song arrangements. It´s a real enjoyment to listen to this album, and simply get hooked by it. The music played on the album is overall Novoy Zavet´s best asset due to all crispness, heaviness and catchiness in the songs – and I can hardly find too much to complain about Slava ''Gorby'' Gorbachev´s vocal parts either even if from time to time I get a feel that he sings out of note here and there. However, that does not kill my excitement to like the album. For me this is the best and most tastefully churned out doom metal album done by a Russian band anyway although that really obviously does not say much as I am not that fond of the Russian doom metal scene either.



Nevertheless APOCALYPSE made me a bit curious about Novoy Zavet´s 2 previous albums how they are compared to this. Maybe Stormspell Records have some plans future release-wise regarding both of them already? ;o)