Doomed – Our Ruin Silhouettes (Review)

This is the third album from Germany’s Doomed; this is a solo affair that has produced 54 minutes of Doom Metal in the Doom/Death style.

It starts out in a very intriguing way with soft chanting and church bells. Soon after the crushing Doom makes an entrance as misty atmospherics and huge, deep, bottomless vocals dominate everything around them.

The music is slow, melodic and has a Funeral vibe. The drumming is very good in particular, and I like the way he doesn’t always go down the easy route; even though it’s slow he doesn’t always choose a simple beat to play.

The rest of the instruments are also played well, with the guitars having a good place in the mix and the artist being wise enough to know when to hold back on the heaviness and let the more subtle aspects of the sound come to the fore.

Although this particular sub-genre of music should be instantly recognisable to anyone who’s into the Doom/Death style, Our Ruin Silhouettes does what it does well, and it sounds bloody good doing it. The melodies are persuasive and the songs insistent. There is a nice depth to the tracks as additional sounds, effects and atypical melodies are all used with great results.

This is a compelling collection of songs to become absorbed in.

Favourite Track: A tough choice, but probably In My Own Abyss. An excellent riff centres the song, as eerie and haunting melodics and effects elevate it to even greater heights.