As far as the current war goes...
Emissaries wins this easily for me. So many times when metal bands try to incorporate ethnic folk sounds into their music they end up making albums that are just typical metal punctuated by folk interludes. Melechesh are the rare example that actually succeeds at making a true musical hybrid. Even at their heaviest, all the tracks on this album have a distinctly middle eastern sound to them and I think they pull it off really well. The playing is tight, the compositions are dynamic, and I even like the vocals quite a bit—they sound like they'd come from the mouth(s) of that three headed lion dog on the cover.
The Absu album is decent too, but I feel like the production really lets it down. It's so thin sounding. Very little low-end. And the drum sound is terribly flat, which is a pity since the drummer seems pretty good.
Absu: 0
Melechesh: 1
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