Chariots Of The Gods – ‘Tides Of War’

I’m always fascinated by the etymology of band names, just as I am with that of words in general.  To me, the name ‘Chariots Of The Gods’ immediately takes me back to my teenage years and the works of the madcap Swiss author Erich von Daniken – the person more or less responsible for popularizing, in the most basic way, the whole idea of extra-terrestrials having visited Earth in the early stages of human development and thus influencing the development of the nascent civilizations of the time:  most of von Daniken’s work, it must be admitted, was unsubstantiated tripe, but it did spark a whole new, or revived, area of study, embracing everything from the origin of the Great Pyramids of Giza to spiritual occultism…

So, what’s this got to do with the matter in hand?  Well, it brings us to an examination of this Canadian five-piece, who have taken the title of EvD’s first book (published in 1969 and which landed him in jail for mis-appropriating money from the hotel where he worked to fund his ‘research’) as their monicker of choice… and they maintain the literary theme  with the album title (or is it just me who sees the connection to Steven Pressfield’s magnificent dramatization of the Peloponnesian War? OK, maybe it is…).

Fortunately, COTG’s debut effort veers more towards the latter, as it is a rather decent slice of good old-fashioned modern heavy metal (and, yes, I know that’s a contradiction in terms), built on solid rhythms and riffs, with thoughtfully constructed and well executed songs, excellent performances – especially from drummer Rich O’Neill and vocalist Renaud Johns:  both know when to let rip with abandon but also hold back and let the songs breathe.  The twin guitar attack of Mathieu St-Amour and Dimitri Gervais is impressive, and the two musicians work well together, delivering a combination of blistering riffs and nicely melodic hooks.

I’m not sure about the linking of the central section of the album to a World War One theme, as each of the tracks stands up on their own merit, but it is a triptych of tunes which works well together, in any context, and summarizes the effectiveness of the album in its presentation of contrasting styles.

[7/10]

Track list:

1. Overture
2. Seventh Weapon
3. Blind Assassin
4. Ambrosian Wings
5. Tides Of War
6. Revillusion (1905)
7. Snow Falls On The White River (1914)
8. Severing The Bloodline
9. Collapse Of An Empire
10. Red Skies
11. Nebula
12. Starborn
13. Unbound
14. Annihilation Of The Gods

‘Tides Of War’ is out now and can be downloaded by clicking the link below.

Official band website:  http://www.chariotsofthegods.net

Official band Facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/chariotsofthegods