This is the third album from Russian doom metal band Mare Infinitum.
Cryosleep contains 47 minutes of epic symphonic doom metal, although these simple words don’t really do the music here sufficient justice. Mare Infinitum’s style takes a base of death/doom and then builds on this with lavish orchestration and operatic depth. Continue reading “Mare Infinitum – Cryosleep (Review)”
Kuolemanlaakso are a Gothic metal band from Finland and this is their latest EP.
I thoroughly enjoyed Kuusumu from earlier in the year, so it’s pleasing – yet surprising – to have a new EP so soon. Apparently these songs were recorded at the same time as Kuusumu though, and in the words of the band, “We knew already when entering the studio that we’re going to record more than an album, as we had plenty of material to work on. Continue reading “Kuolemanlaakso – Kuolleiden Laulu (Review)”
This is the debut album from Finnish funeral doom band Arche.
Transitions is a 36-minute exploration of funeral doom. Spread across three tracks, Arche’s seductive music is best experienced whole as it flows from piece to piece into a singular work of solemn art. Continue reading “Arche – Transitions (Review)”
This is the debut album from French doom band Monastr.
Crushing together crust, post-metal, and sludge into 40 minutes of scathing doom, On Your Knees is a harrowing journey into the darkness of the real world’s horrors. There’s no escape here, only the harshness of reality. Continue reading “Monastr – On Your Knees (Review)”
Onhou are a doom metal band from the Netherlands and this is their second album.
Onhou crush together sludge, doom, and post-metal into a dense ball of heaviness and mood. Containing four songs spread over 42 very moreish minutes, Monument is a record that any adherent to the cult of sludge should seek out. Continue reading “Onhou – Monument (Review)”
Doubtsower is a one-man Welsh doom metal band and this is his second album.
Ahh, the return of Doubtsower. 2021’s Asphyxiation of a Seasick Soul was an unexpected highlight of that year, and although I was surprised to find a new album available so soon, I’m nonetheless pleased by this unlooked for treat. Once again delivering five tracks of emotive doom metal across 49 minutes, the artist behind Doubtsower continues to produce the very definition of underground gems. Continue reading “Doubtsower – The Endless Shadow of Despicable Power (Review)”
This is the third album from Canadian doom/sludge metal band Heron.
Featuring 37 minutes of material, Heron have produced a very tasty underground gem on Empires of Ash. Instantly engaging, despite its caustic nature, this is the sort of album that doom and sludge aficionados should hungrily devour. Continue reading “Heron – Empires of Ash (Review)”
This is the ninth album from French doom band Monolithe.
Monolithe are a band that I have really enjoyed over the years, and you can pick up pretty much anything they have released and be transported into a world of doom delights. (this, this, this, this, this, this or this, for example). Kosmodrom is as epic and ambitious as anything the band have previously attempted, and the album is a 67-minute journey into conceptual spacefaring territories.
This is the third album from Sinister Downfall, a one-man funeral doom band from Germany.
Following on from 2020’s A Dark Shining Light, The Last Witness delivers a 60-minute slab of gloomy darkness. Sinister Downfall know how to craft a funeral doom album of grief and hopelessness. Continue reading “Sinister Downfall – The Last Witness (Review)”
This is the second album from Canadian/US death/doom metallers Dream Unending.
Song of Salvation contains 44 minutes of atmospheric death/doom metal. The band features two members, who are in bands such as Outer Heaven, Sumerlands, Tomb Mold, and Vestal Claret, and between them they create an immersive tapestry of slow, mood-focused doom that’s as compelling and well-realised as it is enjoyable. Continue reading “Dream Unending – Song of Salvation (Review)”
Wonderbox Metal 