Patriarchs In Black - Home

Patriarchs In Black is a metal band, formed by Dan Lorenzo (Cassius King, Vessel of Light, Hades) and Johnny Kelly (Type O Negative, Danzig, Kill Devil Hill) in 2021.  They have wasted little time in releasing albums as this latest release, “Home,” is their fourth full-length album. 

Keeping in line with tradition of the previous albums, this one features a ton of guest stars to help Dan and Johnny, specifically to play bass and provide vocals but violin, viola, flute and strings are used as well.

The band’s base is still very much doom metal:  groove riffs, slow to mid-paced with a ton of weight behind them.  Lorenzo knows exactly what each song needs, how to pull back or move forward with his string prowess at just the right moments.  Kelly, as always, is a rock solid drummer who compliments Lorenzo’s play style perfectly.   Do these two ever run out of rhythms?  No, no, they do not.  

With all that being said, this is one of the most dynamic albums that either musician has ever written.  There is a lot of variety to be found within the album’s runtime of just under an hour across 14 songs.   That might seem a little long but each song offers a unique vision while still being cohesive with the overall structure of the album so the length isn’t really an issue. 

The album opens with “Hymns for the Heretic,” and it does a fantastic job at setting the pace and stage for the rest of the album.  Kyle Thomas (Exhorder, Alabama Thunderpussy, Aortha) provides vocals here. He’s, as usual, very expressive and fits right at home with the southern tinged doom.  Dave Neabore (Dog Eats Dog) provides bass—and it’s massively thunderous, adding a dense punch to the rhythm. 

The song slides into “The Call,” which is one of my favorites on the album.  Karl Agell (Corrosion of Conformity,  Legions of Doom) sings his ass off on this song.  I wish he was on more of the album—I’m hoping that Dan puts out a full album with him one day, either with this project or maybe another.  John DeServio joins on bass and also puts in a stellar performance; between the slower parts, the sudden kick up in tempo, and the clean instrumentation passages, he commands a lot of attention with his bass.  Likewise, Dan and John also show off their own chops, navigating a song that has several different parts but always makes sense. 

“Storm King,” is another banger, featuring Joe Ferrara (The Andretti) on vocals and John Araya on bass (Thine Eyes Bleed).  This is one of the heaviest songs on the album, not the least of which because of Ferrara's ridiculously gritty and awesome performance.  Araya and Dan make quite the team too, each of them seemingly trying to see which of them can throw out the heaviest notes.    John’s drums go for broke here too.  This song is just one big groove machine that hits HARD.

“Where You Think You’re Going,’ is a song that shouldn’t work but it does–Dan and Johnny are too good of songwriting partners for them to do anything less than pull this off 1000%.  Between the rapping of DMC, Sarah Sovak’s vocals and flute, and Jonathan Eng’s violin, this song throws everything and the kitchen sink into the mix.  Actually, make that two kitchen sinks.  But you know what?  Each of these elements works exactly as it should, both separately and as a great whole. Damon Trotta’s (Non-Fiction, Syianic, System Addict) bass helps keep that all important low end going, so the song always remains heavy even with all the different elements in play.

“Enough of You,” is another unique track, what with its walking bass and bluesy,rock swagger.  Frankie Diaz’s vocals are crazy emotional and expressive.  I honestly don’t know who this guy is but he brings it on this song at least.   I like the attitude of this song too–It isn’t aggressive or anything but there is a certain swagger to it, backed up by a ton of confidence and power. 

The final song, “Sweet Blood,” is another favorite of mine.  The opening riffs are just melodic enough to be gripping but doesn’t sacrifice any of the doomed out heaviness. Mark Sunshine’s vocals (RiotGod, Unida) are a good balance between aggressiveness and actual singing ability—this is another vocalist that I would love to hear work with the guys more in the future.  

Dan and Johnny’s Patriarchs In Black project continues to display the duo’s songwriting mastery and their ability to adept to the different play styles and musicians.  “Home,” is an album that has a lot in it and something for everyone.  

Rating:  Excellent