SAINT VITUS — C.O.D. (review)

SAINT VITUS — C.O.D. album cover Album · 1992 · Traditional Doom Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Time Signature
A timeless tale...

Genre: doom metal

Probably the most underrated album in Saint Vitus' discography, "C.O.D." is rarely - if ever - highlighted as a doom metal milestone. It may not be one of the most groundbreaking releases in doom metal, but it deserves more praise than it has received so far, because it is not that bad at all. Saint Vitus' current label, Season of Mist, recently reissued this album in recognition of its qualities in a version that includes two bonus tracks.

With Wino Weinreich out of the band, Saint Vitus recuited Christian Lindersson of Count Raven fame to handle the vocal duties. It may be Weinreich's absence from this album which has generated the many detractors the album has, but, other than the change of vocalists, "C.O.D." sounds 100% like Saint Vitus. This means that it is characterized by minimalistic, but oppressive, gutiar riffs accompanied by heavy drum beats and a fat Sabbath-esque bass. And of course, Dave Chandler's guitar solos are as chaotic as ever.

If anything, this album is a cornucopia of awesome old school doom metal riffs, and a lesson in less-is-more. Just check the minimalistic riffage of 'Planet of Judgment' and the crushingly heavy 'Plague of Man' or melancholy of the title track which, making use of a doomified traditional blues chord progression, celebrates the bluesy roots of doom metal. Even uptempo hard rockers like '(I Am) The Screaming Banshee' and 'Imagination Man' reek of doom and gloom.

Lindersson delivered one of my favorite vocal performances on Count Raven's "Storm Warning" in the form of raw but extremely expressive vocals. His performance on "C.O.D." does not quite match what he did on "Storm Warning". Adopting a deeper and more constrained singing style, it is as if he is not really allowed to let himself completely loose on the album. Some tracks directly suffer from this, as is the case of 'A Timeless Tale'. There are traces of his unque singing style in some of the tracks on the album, such as 'Imagination Man'. This is why I appreciate the two bonus tracks on the Season of Mist reissue, because - being from a different recording session - they feature an expressive Lindersson in all his splendor and glory. In particular, 'To Breed a Soldier' is an excellent track.

Not a perfect album, "C.O.D." is nonetheless a solid doom metal album, and it definitey deserves mre attention than it has receved so far. Fans of old school doom metal along the lines of classic Black Sabbath or Pentagram should definitely check it out, and hardcore Sant Vitus fans should give it another chance.
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