### Procession: To reap the heavens apart

#### 30/08/13 || gk

“To reap heavens apart” is the second album from Chile’s Procession and it’s been sitting in my to review list for a long while now. The band first came to my attention with their excellent 2009 EP “Cult of disease”. Procession were a throwback to the traditional doom metal championed by the likes of Candlemass. Epic songs, memorable melodies and strong vocals gave that EP some serious staying power.

After that, the full length debut, “Destroyers of the faith” was a slight disappointment and the song writing wasn’t as strong. Now in 2013, the band has released its latest album and “To reap the heavens apart” is an excellent traditional doom metal album.

Vocalist, guitarist Felipe Plaza Kutzbach is the star here and his soaring vocals are front and center on every one of the 5 proper songs on the album. It all starts with a melodic and seemingly polite intro “Damnatio memorae” but then as it changes seamlessly to first song proper “Conjurer”, things start to pick up. The song is just traditional doom metal with melody, solid guitar solos, a very cool bass line and Felipe’s vocals all turning it into a strong opener. “Death and judgement” could have been on Candlemass’s “Tales of creation” album. The slow and plodding nature of the riffs is offset by some more fine bass playing and this band has a damn good grasp of melody. Title song To reap heavens apart is the centerpiece of the album. With a slow burning build, the song progresses over 9 minutes into a heavy and memorable slab of doom metal. “The death minstrel” has a beautiful acoustic guitar melody but the song never really comes together and just sort of fades away. Things end well though with “Far from light” once again upping the doom stakes with a superb melody taking center stage during the opening of the song but again, its Felipe’s vocals that really push the song to memorable heights.

The high points for me are Felipe’s vocals and the man sounds fearless and constantly pushes himself. This is a really commendable effort from him. The other high light is the bass playing of Claudio Botarro Neira. His bass lines often serve as counter point to the guitars and hold the melody down.

Procession has carved out a fine slice of doom metal here. There’s nothing new or innovative about “To reap the heavens apart” but it is a strong collection of songs. Fans of traditional doom metal should really hunt this band down. Procession are worthy contenders to a throne left vacant by Candlemass and on the strength of “To reap the heavens apart” they’re well on their way to claiming it.

- Information
- Released: 2013
- Label: High Roller Records
- Website: Procession Facebook
- Band
- Felipe Plaza Kutzbach: guitars, vocals
- Jonas Pedersen: guitars
- Claudio Botarro Neira: bass
- Uno Bruniusson: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Damnatio Memorae
- 02. Conjurer
- 03. Death & Judgement
- 04. To Reap Heavens Apart
- 05. The Death Minstrel
- 06. Far from Light