Band: DIE ENTWEIHUNG
Country: Israel
Title: Kings & Pawns
Label: Wings of Destruction / Scorched Earth Records
Year: 2021
Style: Dark Metal

Review:
Oh man, this is the tenth studio album by Die Entweihung, and although most of the time since its foundation in 2007 it was a one time band, it is still impressive for Die Entweihung to release 10 full-length albums, kudos for that. The new material is made of 9 tracks, 7 of them original compositions and two covers of tracks by John Lennon and Der Gerwelt, strange joining, right? The music on it is far from the Black Metal the band used to play at some point, it is more a mix of Dark Metal, Doom Metal, Doom Death, and some Black Metal, quite easy to digest and enjoy even for fans that are not that much into Extreme Metal; actually I wouldn't call this Extreme Metal anymore, it plays more on dark and melodic territories than on the aggressive, brutal side. The vocals are quite weird, you need to get used to them before enjoying them if you'll ever get past that weirdness, but the instrumental part is the real winner here. There's much variety, clever structures, catchy hooks, acoustic inserts, and an overall melodic touch that to me it reminds of 90's Gothic Doom scene with Oriental influences sprinkled all over. Actually even the production reminds me of the '90's. Good idea of inviting Alena, a very foxy vocalist (check her booklet picture), on a couple of tracks, she performs both clean melodic vocals and some vicious Black Metal shrieks that I hope to hear more on future Die Entweihung releases. All in all this new album is an interesting journey, if you decide to give it a chance, make an effort and play it in full, not just a track. 
Reviewed by Adrian
Rating: 7.5/10

Contact:
entweihung.bandcamp.com
wod-prods.jimdo.com
scorchedearthrecords.com.au