Category: Doom

Eye of Solitude – Dear Insanity (Review)

Eye of SolitudeEye of Solitude are from the UK and this is their latest EP. They play Funeral Doom Metal.

Eye of Solitude are a favourite of mine, and if you haven’t already you should definitely check out their début album Sui Caedere and their devastating follow up Canto III.

Dear Insanity is one single track lasting 51 minutes. As with the latest Inter Arma EP this is essentially a full length album rather than an EP. However, there’s no hard and fast rule for this kind of thing though. Other bands like Luna and Monolithe, for example, make similar releases and call them albums. And of course you have Reverend Bizarre’s famous “EP” Harbinger of Metal which is a whopping 73 minutes in length…

But onto Dear Insanity.

It starts off all ambient with soft and vaguely unsettling drone sounds. This lulls the listener into complacency and when the crushing guitars suddenly come thundering down on you just after 8 minutes it’s almost startling.

After this Eye of Solitude do what they do best; slow, crushing, emotive DOOOOOM! This is relentless and laden with colossal Doom riffs and vocals as deep as night.

At about the 15 minute mark we get a change, with brief respites added in to soften the mood before the misery begins once more; this time with increased atmosphere.

At 22 minutes subdued piano takes centre stage and really brings home the feelings of dejection and forlorn hopelessness. Subtle, soft, crooning vocals can also be heard at this point; like an echo of a ghost in the background. This is a very well-judged change of pace and works perfectly as a mid-album centrepiece that carries real emotional weight.

At 29 minutes the guitars are back like a long lost friend. The mood is one of solemn reflection and sorrowful realisation. The piano can still be heard playing softly alongside the tidal wave of guitars, with the two disparate instruments merging into a cohesive whole.

There’s another change at 33 minutes, with the music noticeably becoming more expansive and expressive. The atmosphere is really starting to build now, slowly and inevitably heading towards crescendo.

Another brief piano interlude happens at 36 minutes, allowing the emotional pressure to build with gentle coercion.

39 minutes in. The Doom riffs start coming on strong now and the guitars take pride of place in the ongoing avalanche of misery. This is the final stretch of the song and things are moving towards their fatal conclusion. The band start to ramp up the intensity, slowly, which brings us to the last few minutes of the song where all of the emotion has been felt, all of the despair has been used up and we’re left with a gentle feeling of hopelessness so soft that we don’t even realise how lost we all are.

I do love it when bands do work like this, and Eye of Solitude have shown that they can do it even better than most.

A colossal landmark of a release by a band who can seemingly do no wrong. Get this now.

Usnea – Random Cosmic Violence (Review)

UsneaUsnea are from the US and play Blackened Doom. This is their second album.

We’ve met Usnea before on their split with Ruins. This, coupled with their début album, (which is absolutely amazing, by the way), means that Random Cosmic Violence is an album that I have high expectations of indeed.

Usnea write riffs that are huge Blackened tsunami’s of tar and malevolent urges. This is Doom that’s as colossal as it is unfriendly. The Black Metal influence is still a definite part of their sound, albeit a little less closer to the surface on this release.

Multiple vocal styles of attack are present on this; from high-pitched screams, to bowel-shaking growls, to spoken word, to haunting cleans.

The interesting thing about Usnea is that their songs may be monolithic slabs of shaded darkness, but importantly they can write actual songs; the shortest track here is just over 12 minutes in length but Usnea have an exceptional ability to write songs that are catchy.

It may sound strange for a band like this, but the winding melodies really seep into your brain and it’s easy to find yourself humming along with the tunes. This was a hallmark of their début and they’ve carried this over to their second album with great aplomb.

The dark atmospheres that the band create are a pleasure to explore. Each track has its own personality, character and place on the album.

Everything about this album screams quality, longevity and depth. The songs draw you in and mesmerise. Even on first listen you know you’re dealing with a truly special album, and after multiple listens it’s confirmed; Usnea are just fucking brilliant.

What more can I say? If you like interesting, heavy music then this is essential.

Anatomy of Habit – Ciphers + Axioms (Review)

Anatomy of HabitAnatomy of Habit are from the US and this is their second album. They play Experimental Post-Metal/Doom.

This is music that will probably be dismissed by a lot of people as not being immediate or conventional enough. Their loss.

How to describe Anatomy of Habit ? The share a similar very individual stylistic space with bands such as Swans, Neurosis, Fantômas, Burning Witch, Skullflower, etc. This is music that’s slow, Doomy and with lots of personality.

The vocals are a large part of the personality of the band. That’s not to denigrate the music of course, as this definitely has its own flavour, but vocally we’re in territory that’s reminiscent enough of Mike Patton to be instantly recognisable and familiar but not too similar so that it sounds like a rip off or bad copy. Couple this with an Avant-Garde feeling akin to Manes/Arcturus as well as the odd harsher scream and you have a performance that puts most singers to shame.

There are two tracks here and both of them are very finely crafted examples of how you can play Post-Metal and really have your own sound. Both are over 20 minutes long.

Radiate and Recede is a Drone Doom epic that is as hypnotic as it is powerful. I really love this kind of crawling, quirky, slowness that’s repetitive enough to become engaging but dynamic enough to keep the interest. It finishes with an extended Doom workout that would do Esoteric proud before the main vocals end it totally.

Second track Then Window continues the stylistic theme developed in the first song but with a slightly different spin on it. We’re still in Doom territory but the music is slightly more colourful and upbeat in a way that’s still subtly sinister.

Taken together, Ciphers + Axioms is a very enjoyable album that allows a creative band to flex their musical muscles in a worthwhile and involving way. They really have crafted a remarkable album.

I love music that’s a bit weird, a bit different and yet still remains a bloody good listen. Anatomy of Habit fit this description perfectly. They get a big thumbs up from me. Well done!

Wolf Blood – Wolf Blood (Review)

Wolf BloodThis is the début album from US Doom Metal band Wolf Blood.

Wolf Blood play Doom Metal – a cross between Traditional Doom and Stoner Doom.

The tunes here are memorable and kicked out with obvious passion and no shortage of charisma. It’s a testament to the band’s talent that the melodies and riffs that the band perform sound both familiar and fresh; ancient yet vibrant.

A mix of Traditional Doom and Stoner Doom could theoretically have descended into the mediocre quite quickly but Wolf Blood manage to side step this pitfall by taking the best aspects of each. This has resulted in a collection of songs that have the power and majesty of Doom with the energy and drive of Stoner.

The band have a really warm, welcoming sound that embraces the listener with good feelings and Doomy vibes. It’s not too polished and keeps an underground feel but it does the band justice and the songs sound authentic and engaging.

There’s a lot to like here. Wolf Blood clearly know what they want to achieve and I think their début album succeeds in this.

Listen up Doomsters, there’s a new power in town.

Process of Guilt/Rorcal – Split (Review)

POGRThis is a split between Portugal’s Process of Guilt and Switzerland’s Rorcal.

Rorcal’s contribution to the split is 15 minutes of anguished, Blackened chaos.

On their previous album Vilagvege they had a Blackened element to their sound, with dark atmospheres and Black Metal-laced blasting appearing in places; on this split they appear to have embraced this bitingly harsh side of their sound to a greater deal and these three songs have a much stronger Black Metal influence. Having sampled the whirlwind Rorcal seem to have liked their taste of the darkness.

The Sludge is still here though. Blast beats there may be but they also slow things down to let the listener really feel the despair. At least for a short while.

I like Rorcal a lot and think that no matter whether they play fast or slow they have a talent for sounding both evil and agonised at the same time.

The first half of the split is a triumph then.

Having never encountered Process of Guilt before – what of the second half?

Process of Guilt’s contribution to the split is three tracks of Atmospheric Doom Sludge lasting 17 minutes.

They start with harsh screams that seem to escape from the void of negativity that the band shroud themselves with. They have a good sound that veritably screams for the apocalypse to happen and the hammering guitars combined with the very emotive and atmospheric aura of misery that they perpetuate is a treat to listen to.

Deeper, grimmer vocals share stage with these otherworldly shrieks to create a well rounded vocal package that complements the professional delivery of the band. This is Sludge to fall in love with.

Process of Guilt combine the abrasive, twisting parts of Neurosis, the relentless heaviness of Celeste and the dark, gritty atmospheres of Burning Witch to create 17 minutes of feedback-drenched Hell that any Sludge/Doom fan couldn’t help but fall for.

A 32 minutes split featuring quality bands and songs. What’s stopping you from getting this right now?

Kвіти Знедолених Берегів – За небокрай мрій (Review)

Kвіти Знедолених БерегівKвіти Знедолених Берегів is a solo project from Ukraine that plays Atmospheric Death/Doom. This is his début demo.

This is woe-filled Atmospheric Doom with deep growling and swathes of desolate feeling.

The singer has a very powerful growl. It sounds quite primal in its force and carries a strong presence against the backdrop of the mournful music. This is backed up by occasional spoken word sections which are also performed well and have a good place in the mix, as I find spoken word parts are usually too high when most bands employ them. Soft, low-key cleans also unexpectedly appear, greatly enhancing the already varied vocal package. Neither the cleans or the spoken word sections are over done though and the deep growls eclipse them both.

The music shows good composition and everything is played well. The dark melodies have an air of longing to them and really drive the music forward.

Both of the songs on this release slowly build their funeral dirge over the course of about 10 minutes and the winding, plaintive guitars have just the right tone to connect viscerally with the listener without becoming overwrought. Subtle keyboard/piano is used here and there to further add feeling and I like the style of songwriting in general; it’s mainly about heaviness, both musically and emotionally, but there’s enough subtlety and nuance here to satisfy fans of all tastes and preferences.

For what is, apparently, a demo release, the production is very professional sounding. Everything is balanced and in its place; everything sounds crisp and punchy.

I’m very impressed with this. Hopefully we’ll see a full album from Kвіти Знедолених Берегів in the future and if it’s even half as good as За небокрай мрій it’ll be very good indeed.

Aires/Rui P. Andrade/Earthly Beasts – Split (Review)

SplitThis is a split between the Aires, Rui P. Andrade and Earthly Beasts, all are Portuguese and solo artists/projects. This is a collection of three tracks of Ambient/Drone that lasts just over 29 minutes in total.

As always with these kind of releases I have to be in the mood for them, but when you are in such a mood this split is a good place to visit.

Aires, who we met before with Aires, starts us off with the first track Solvet Cosmos in Favilla. This starts with tense noises and keeps this up throughout the 9:05 playing time, subtly twisting and morphing it at a glacial pace as the track develops. Subtle samples can be heard in the background and the entire thing comes off with an Industrial/Black Metal vibe, almost like an ambient work by a band like Blut Aus Nord.

Initially I wasn’t too fussed by this to be honest, but it slowly worked its insidious charms on my brain and by the end of the track when it starts to splinter and fracture into nothingness I was hooked. Great stuff.

The next track, Turdus Merula, is by Rui P. Andrade. This ebbs and flows with Ambient patience through the 10:46 playing time to create a dark sonicscape that sounds like the aural equivalent of the release’s cover, really.

I like this track as it has recognisable changes within it, flowing between louder and softer moments and undulating as the artist sees fit, eventually descending into noise territory as it begins to unravel near the 9:00 mark.

The final track on the split, Erebus, is by Earthly Beasts and it starts off with some extremely ominous sounds akin to something from the Silent Hill games. Thankfully the track then goes on to do what I was hoping it would do and it turns into quite a harrowing series of sounds and noises designed to unnerve and terrify.

The purity of horror that this song initially creates though does not last, as even though it does carry on the theme some of the noises take on a pseudo-Techno feel and sometimes I almost expect a dance beat to appear. Thankfully it doesn’t but it changes the dynamic of the song enough to create a different mood than the one of pure malevolence that it started with.

Of all of the tracks here this is the most rhythmic, and it balances the background aura of despondency against the harsher foreground rhythmic noise in such a way that the 9:20 playing time flies by and you’re not sure whether to be scared or relieved.

This is a great showcase for three talented artists. If you’re partial to Drone/Ambient sounds then I heartily recommend you go and get this.

A varied, enigmatic and above all quality release.

Temple of Void – Of Terror and the Supernatural (Review)

Temple of VoidTemple of Void are from the US and this is their début album. They play Doom with an infusion of Death Metal.

Temple of Void’s 2013 Demo was a really enjoyable 3-track taster for the band, and this début full length takes those three songs, adds 5 more and results in Of Terror and the Supernatural.

Their sound is one of Doom Metal mixed with an Old-School Death Metal influence, which manifests in the faster sections, the deep vocals and the general air of rotting heaviness that the band exude with every diseased pore.

Opener The Embalmer’s Art is like a microcosm for the album as a whole. It has faster, gritty sections which are tempered by largely slow and Doom-y main parts and morbid, grim vocals. The guitar melodies are haunting, downright miserable and very, very powerful.

Somehow, even though this is only a début, Temple of Void have managed to produce a piece of rotten artistry that sounds as if it has taken decades to coalesce into being. The songs sound mature and so full of atmosphere and dark tidings it seems impossible that these are new songs and not long lost tracks from the vaults of Peaceville history.

Upon first listening to the album it sounds instantly welcoming and familiar without sounding stale or old-hat. Upon subsequent listens this feeling is reinforced and very quickly the album shapes up to be both an old friend and a stunning new discovery.

The vocals are deep growls that have an instant presence and charisma. Somewhat reminiscent of the singer of Opeth at his expressive, malevolent deepest; the singer of Temple of Void has a phenomenal bellow that really clears the cobwebs away.

I’m incredibly impressed with this. The quality of the riffs, the depth of feeling that they evoke and the whole structure of the songs in general speaks volumes about the talent of the band.

Crawling Death Metal-laced Doom has never sounded so good.

Essential listening.

Algoma – Reclaimed by the Forest (Review)

AlgomaAlgoma are a Sludge/Doom band from Canada and this is their début album.

Algoma play the kind of filthy, grim Sludge akin to the likes of Eyehategod, Fistula, Buzzov.en, etc.

The riffs are heavy and large and have the relentless inevitability of a slow-moving avalanche. Reclaimed by the Forest seems to be powered by these monstrous guitars, as if they have an energy all to themselves; self-generating and powerful enough to make everything else follow suite.

Vocally the singer has a voice that’s somewhere between a shout and a bark.

The band’s sound is murky and dense, as one would expect from a Sludge Metal group, but there’s a healthy amount of Doom to their style meaning they go slower than some similar bands.

At almost 42 minutes in length it doesn’t outstay its welcome and the infectious nature of the Sludgy guitars mean that it’s a good album to zone out to and become encased in the heaviness.

Each song is a smorgasbord of heaviness, crunchy guitars and bile.

It’s time to let the forest take you.