Coltsblood/Un- Split (Review)

Coltsblood and Un are both doom bands and have teamed up for this split release. The former are from the UK and the latter the US.

I’n unfamiliar with Coltsblood’s work prior to this split, but I certainly intend to rectify this after listening to Snows of the Winter Realm.

This 21-minute track is an unholy amalgamation of blackened doom and sludge. It’s heavily atmospheric doom that borrows slow aspects of other styles to work dark magic across its considerable playing time.

As you might expect, the music increases the pace here and there, either gifting the song a doomy death metal feel, or delivering a furious blackened workout. It’s great to hear. However, the majority of this is slow and colossal, like a glacier moving inexorably forward with relentless patience and destructive impact. The subtle synths add a lot of menacing mood, while the heavy guitars crush and mangle. Deep growls try to swallow all light, and occasionally blackened shrieks pierce the music like barbed predators.

Snows of the Winter Realm is lethal and serrated, despite its overall atmospheric pace. Played with apocalyptic intent and obvious feeling, it’s a first rate song and as an introduction to Coltsblood’s work is a very strong one. Impressive.

Un are no stranger to this site and are a favourite of mine. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that they are one of the premier doom metal bands out there at the moment.

This is the band’s longest track so far. At 22 minutes in length, Every Fear Illuminated is a tour de force of funeral doom. Filled with grief and remorse, the song is an exemplar of how to ably infuse obvious emotion into such a monolithic piece of work. The song builds and moves, crafting a breathing soundscape of such immersive feeling and compelling vision that you instantly want to revisit the song’s potent atmosphere as soon as it has wound down to a close. How many other 22-minute songs do you instantly want to start listening to again as soon as they’re finished? Not many I’d wager. This is funeral doom at its finest.

In addition to the usual, (very well-performed), deathgrowls of the Un singer, we also get treated to guest vocals from Parker Chandler, (Cough/Windhand). This is simply an added bonus in a song that would still be exceptional without his presence.

Un have once again demonstrated why they are at the very top of the pile when it comes to doom.

I love a good split, and this is a great split.