No, I’m not going to claim that they’ve come up with something revolutionary for the genre, but they do have a knack for putting all their diverse ideas across in a seamless manner. Not so technically fastidious like bands such as Arsis or The Faceless, and not so belligerent as Unleashed, Entombed or Hearse, Seance instead smoothly integrate many of the best qualities of these other acts into their own distinct style. Awakening Of The Gods is a chiefly speedy album, yet with a ton of variety in the overall rhythms and structural patterns. The more straightforward thrashy parts are effectively tied to the chaotic and technically virtuosic sections, while still allowing for some rather impressive solos almost every time the singer halts to give respite to his vocal cords.

Speaking of my personal favorites, one of the fastest pieces “Invocation” amazed me with its delirious leads and unexpected serpentines throughout whilst the other one “Choose Your Eternity”, flowing in a free, almost Rock’N’Roll-ish manner, reminded me a lot of “Corroding Armor” from Hearse’s In These Veins. But at bottom, there are no boring or monotonous tracks here, and even a short, purely guitar instrumental “Flight Of The Wicked”, an extravagant variation on the theme from “Flight Of The Bumblebee” by Rimsky-Korsakov, adds to this album’s diversity.

Production-wise, there isn’t much to quibble about here. The lead tones may be slightly muffled, yet they are still fully audible in the final mix, while the somewhat processed sounding vocals only add to the foreboding atmosphere of the music. And unlike many other Death Metal releases, the rhythm section fortunately doesn’t overshadow the other instruments. All in all, Awakening Of The Gods is a very weighty comeback that should not only gladden their old time fans, but also draw attention from newer listeners. Let’s just hope it isn’t another fifteen years until their next release.