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The lyrical content on "Damnation" is comprised into two different themes. The first half of the album talks about forces at play in the destruction of earth and mankind whereas by contrast the second half remains optimistic with messages of coming saviors and the power within all living things. It might seem a little cliché, but I find that the songs are arranged in such a way as to tell an epic story of earth, which is a literal translation of the band's name (Gaia Epicus "earth epic," "story of the earth").
The musical composition is well developed and complex. Each song moves through multiple segments that completely differ from the proceeding or recapitulate a previous motif in a new way. This is extremely evident in the song "Return of the Wizard" which is the album's only completely instrumental track.
What I find most interesting about this band's style is that they can also write very simple songs as well like the Viking epic "Masters of the Sea" which follows a typical verse/chorus/verse format plus a wonderful lead section. The song is as the name suggests, a tale of Viking prowess on the seas. This is probably my favorite song on the album because it contrasts so much to the rest of the album's long and complex epics yet it still holds true to the sound in general. Also, I'm a big fan of Vikings as well. At first, I thought the song was talking about the ancient inhabitants of Easter Island (just off South America), they were masters of the sea in heir own right!
In general, Gaia Epicus' "Damnation" is a heavy metal feast for all the senses and by that I mean that the production is big and the songs are engaging and sound familiar in the classical metal sense. The sound is brutally heavy, almost a little too heavy at times if that's even possible. But they do have one thing that many similar sounding bands don't and that's a good use of peaks and valleys. Sections flow together nicely with surprises along he way that add to the interesting flow.
I have the feeling that even bigger projects are in the works for Gaia Epicus in the near future and I cannot wait to hear the next chapter. Nice blend of thrash, speed, and power metal. Something very familiar, something a little different for the power metal genre.
Rating: 80
Reviewed By: Brian Grefrath