Defacing God – ‘The Resurrection of Lilith’ [Album Review]

Anyone who has already checked out the suitably dramatic videos from Scandanavian occult-metallers Defacing God should be licking their lips in anticipation that their debut album for Napalm Records, The Resurrection, will be something equally as spectacular.

With themes drenched in inspiration from the world of occultism and witchcraft, and built around the tales of the mythological female Lilith, Defacing God have created something quite magical. Haunting and majestic, yet ferociously savage at the same time, The Resurrection of Lilith weaves a tapestry of symphonic black metal and melodic death metal around dark tales of ancient folklore. Such is the quality on offer that the band is already being talked about in the same breath as acts like Cradle of Filth and Dimmu Borgir, no mean feat considering this is Defacing God’s debut.

To be fair, though, the occult metal outfit deserves all the plaudits they’re getting. The melodic neck-loosening groove the band deploy on tracks like “The Resurrection” is simply magnificent and certainly wouldn’t look out of place in the Arch Enemy catalogue. Add in the grandiose orchestration, and you have an album that is as epic as it is relentless. The musicianship is simply flawless in its execution, whether it be wailing guitar solos or machine-gun riffing, while, on this evidence, vocalist Sandie “The Lilith” Gjørtz possesses one of the best voices in extreme metal.

The Resurrection of Lilith is the perfect example of how to blend dramatic, magical storytelling with epic, grandiose metal. The recorded takes you to a world of spellbinding, savage and dramatic tales and while it may not be an original theme or formula, Defacing God deliver it with the kind of quality that will surely propel them up the league table among the big-hitters where they deservedly belong.

The Resurrection Of Lilith Track Listing:

1. Black Moon
2. The Invocation Part I “Lilith”
3. The Resurrection
4. The Invocation Part II “Jezebel”
5. The Invocation Part III “Abyzou”
6. Rise of the Trinity
7. The End of Times
8. Echoes From Fulda
9. Death Followed Like a Plague
10. Enslaved
11. In the Land of Rain and Sorrow
12. Into the Mist of Memories

Run Time: 49:02
Release Date: September 2, 2022
Record Label: Napalm Records