Band: Pantheon
CD Title: Dead or Alive
Year: 2007
Website: pantheononline.co.uk
MySpace: myspace.com/pantheonband
Label: None
Featured on: Loucifer Speaks exclusive!
Rating: 8.6 / 10
More Links: Pantheon Band Profile
I have several other albums / EPs that I should be reviewing at the moment, but for some reason Pantheon's demo EP from 2007 has jumped straight to the top of the pile. Could this be because their manager now lurks on the Loucifer Speaks forum and reminds me of the band at every possible opportunity? Quite possibly, yes. Although, that doesn't really take away from the fact that I really do want to tell you about this EP, and about the band in turn.
Pantheon hail from Yorkshire - so they're close enough that I can feel a surge of homegrown pride when I listen to them, but far enough away so that I've never experienced this live. From what I've seen of the band's photographs, they look young. Insanely young. So young that - when coupled with the fact that this EP is more than rather good - will fill you with an insane amount of jealousy. Anyway, I'll try to get the green-eyed monster under control and attempt to review the music of these young, talented bastards...
"Dead or Alive" opens the EP and it gets straight to the point. There's no fancy intro, no build up, no fuss, no hype... just straight forward Metal... and, if you don't like it, you're obviously not in the right place. The riff makes me want to headbang and the overall sound just makes me want to drink a large amount of alcohol. I'd imagine Pantheon to be the ideal festival band. Picture the scene: Decent music, sunny (ish) weather, cans of beer, over-excited Metal fans... Sounds like Valhalla, right? Anyway, I've wandered away from the point a bit, but the only think that I could think of to improve this particular track is a little more of a hook. Not that this will matter to many listeners.
"Diamond Mine" makes me smile from the get-go. Pantheon have succeeded in creating a time machine and we've just gone back to the 1980s. You can imagine them playing this on a bill surrounded by bands like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. The vocals could do with a little more gusto - but this may just be down to the production of the EP. When listening I get the impression that they don't have the same urgency as the rest of the recording.
The thing that really struck me with "Shrapnel" is how clear the bass is! It's so refreshing to hear a bass player (and actually BE ABLE to hear them) who isn't content with just plucking the same note over and over again. My respect for them has gone up another notch.
...And so we arrive at "Arena of Invasion". This track has quickly become my favourite from the EP. It's like all of the good elements from the other songs have come together to form a Frankenstein's Monster of a track (or should that be Pantheon's Monster?).
This EP is by no means perfect, but this is band that needs to be heard. If you're a fan of the NWOBHM and/or Thrash, and don't mind a good bit of nostalgia, then this is the EP for you. However, one thing that really annoys me about this band is the name... Do we really need another band called Pantheon?
01 Dead or Alive
02 Diamond Mine
03 Shrapnel
04 Arena of Invasion
