Oak – Lone (Review)

Oak are a Portuguese funeral death/doom band and this is their debut album.

Featuring members of the mighty Gaerea, this album contains 51 minutes of slow, mournful doom. Heavy and atmospheric, Lone is a doom album tour de force.

The band wield emotion well, using the flow of the material to draw out feelings as the songs unfold and progress. Different paces are used, not just crawling slowness, and the lengthy songs, (and the not so lengthy), on Lone all justify their runtime, pulling the listener close and keeping them there with quality songwriting and immersive moods. Black metal, death metal, and sludge all have their influences felt during this album, to varying degrees, but it’s all encompassed in an overarching DOOOOOM approach that sees Oak manage to pull off one of the most enjoyable and compelling doom albums I’ve heard this year.

It’s not all heaviness either, as there’s plenty of nuance and texture on this release. Lighter moments are used well, working alongside their heavier counterparts to craft, build, sustain, and release atmosphere as if the band members have been doing it their entire lives.

The songs are each individual and charismatic, and all worthy of existence in their own right. The vocals suck you into a black void, while the music surrounds you with its gargantuan presence. A warm, organic sound rounds off an incredibly strong package, and Lone is an album that has everything a doom fan could need.

Essential listening.