Cardinals Folly/Purification – Possessed in the Ritual Grove – Split (Review)

This is a spilt between two doom metal bands – Cardinals Folly from Finland and Purification from the US.

I like Cardinals Folly very much, (see here, here, and here), so it’s always a pleasure to hear new material from them. On this split the band give us 18 minutes of new music divided into three songs.

Law and Enlightenment is heavy and meaty, with some steamroller riffs and liquid metal solos. The singer’s vocals showcase his usual big personality, and the entire track is effortlessly enjoyable. Next is the 3-minute instrumental dirge The Second Seal, which acts as a nice atmospheric bridge between the two main songs. We end with Prince Prospero. Much like the first track here, it’s filled with confident riffs, molten solos, and vocals imbued with personality.

Cardinals Folly really do know how to write this sort of music, and this split is yet another great example of their art.

I’ve never heard Purification before; they deliver 20 minutes of traditional doom metal spread across four tracks, and it goes down rather well.

The opening track – 1st John 218 (King James Version) – is a sombre instrumental piece that sets a doomy tone. The Crowning Mercy is the first song proper, and reveals the band’s doom metal competency. Traditional and old-school, the song drips with dark doom atmosphere and feeling. It sounds like it could have come straight from the 90s, and reminds me somewhat of how My Dying Bride might sound if they adopted a more traditional doom metal approach. Maybe. The very metal titled Six Horn Cult of the Sword and final track Adrianople (Suicide Morning) reinforce the 90s impression and deliver another two solid tracks of charismatic old-school doom.

A strong split from two enjoyable doom metal bands. If you’re a fan of the traditional doom metal style, then make sure you check this out.