Doom – Page 95 – Wonderbox Metal

John Gallow – Violet Dreams (Review)

John Gallow is from the US and this is an album of Doom Metal.

This is a Doom Metal album that’s full of Doom and has lots of Doom Metal in it. The Doom is strong and the Doom is heavy, with lots of Doom Metal making an appearance and a liberal Doom sprinkling of Doom on the Doom side.

This Doom album is of the Traditional Doom variety with Classic Doom and Old-School Doom also being represented. Black Doom Sabbath are a good Doom starting point as well as other Doom members of the Doom pantheon used as Doom influences.

Doom. Doom. Doom.

Okay, enough of that. You get the idea.

There is just over an hour of music on this album and it’s a pleasure to listen to. The man has a powerful voice and the music has a good amount of variation and interest to it.

The riffs are good, the melodies bold and memorable and the production punchy and crisp. The songs are well-written and there are plenty of interludes, solos, leads, keys, effects and even bass shenanigans to keep the listener enthralled.

John Gallow has produced an album that manages to encapsulate all of what it means to be Traditional Doom Metal whilst managing to actually sound current and relevant at the same time. It may be resolutely Old-School in source material but this is an album that can stand proud in the 21st century as a exemplar of how this kind of music should sound.

Hail!

Astral Winter – Perdition (Review)

Astral Winter are an Australian Black Metal band and this is their second album.

But not this time; normally Astral Winter is Melodic Black Metal, but for this album things have taken an ambient turn and this release is all about dark soundscapes and sombre melancholy.

These tracks are mournful, droning, slow and relaxed. Light guitars, effects, keyboards, piano, strings and all manner of other instruments and sounds make appearances on this impressive album.

The songs presented here are wonderfully emotive and filled with feelings of darkness and hope intermingled. This is not a miserable album, this is one of darkened allure and ambitious scope.

Although this is an album of 8 tracks it could just as easily have been one long song as the tracks flow into each other and the entire album is a night-time journey into the mysterious and sublime.

Normally when bands take left-tuns like this it’s usually a misstep, but this is the work of a talented musician. This is a quality release by someone who knows what Neo-Classical should sound like and how it must progress and remain interesting to not bore the listener.

The sky at night has been shaped into an album of reflective beauty.

Get this.

Erlen Meyer – Erlen Meyer (Review)

Erlen Meyer are from France and play Post-Metal. This is their début.

Featuring a bold and striking album cover, the album itself is the sound of nightmares made musical and given a soundtrack.

This is dark, heavy and cathartic music. The walls of guitars and screaming vocals conjure negativity and rage. The overall effect Continue reading “Erlen Meyer – Erlen Meyer (Review)”

Doomed – Our Ruin Silhouettes (Review)

This is the third album from Germany’s Doomed; this is a solo affair that has produced 54 minutes of Doom Metal in the Doom/Death style.

It starts out in a very intriguing way with soft chanting and church bells. Soon after the crushing Doom makes an entrance as misty atmospherics and huge, deep, bottomless vocals dominate everything around them.

The music is slow, melodic and has a Funeral vibe. The drumming is very good in particular, and I like the way he doesn’t always go down the easy route; even though it’s slow he doesn’t always choose a simple beat to play.

The rest of the instruments are also played well, with the guitars having a good place in the mix and the artist being wise enough to know when to hold back on the heaviness and let the more subtle aspects of the sound come to the fore.

Although this particular sub-genre of music should be instantly recognisable to anyone who’s into the Doom/Death style, Our Ruin Silhouettes does what it does well, and it sounds bloody good doing it. The melodies are persuasive and the songs insistent. There is a nice depth to the tracks as additional sounds, effects and atypical melodies are all used with great results.

This is a compelling collection of songs to become absorbed in.

Favourite Track: A tough choice, but probably In My Own Abyss. An excellent riff centres the song, as eerie and haunting melodics and effects elevate it to even greater heights.

Monolith – Dystopia (Review)

This is the début album from Germany’s Psychedelic Doomsters Monolith.

This is Black Sabbath-inspired Doom Metal with a healthy Psychedelic component.

The album cover and the sound that the band have conspire to increase the overall impression of a spaced-out jam with lots of shining surfaces and dubious substances.

Dystopia is catchy and has plenty of hooks. The solos, leads and riffs are all fully realised and the bass is an important part of the overall feel of the songs.

The singer does his best Ozzy Osbourne impression but it fits the music perfectly and with the music being so laid back and glittering with Psychedelia no-one can really complain.

The most important thing about this release is the songs themselves. They’ve clearly been put together by a band who have a love of the genre and are passionate about what they do. These are class songs that will have you humming the tunes in your head for days to come.

Give them a listen and I dare you not to enjoy it.

Of Spire & Throne – Toll of the Wound (Review)

Of Spire & Throne are form the UK and this is their latest EP.

Looking for some dirty, colossally heavy Doom? Then you’ve come to the right place. Of Spire & Throne have it in spades.

This three track EP clocks in at just over 30 minutes in length and is the latest release in a growing catalogue of quality works from this band. I can only hope they get around to releasing a full album at some point in the near future as I’m sure it will be something special.

The songs here are crushing in scope and monolithic in their oppressive nature. The singer’s vocals only seem to be getting deeper over time and the guitars have never sounded better.

This is slow, uncompromising Doom that won’t be rushed for anyone and can’t be made to clean up its act. Not that we would want it to of course, as Toll of the Wound is covered in just the right amount of filth.

It’s not all about playing slow however, as the band understand and fully utilise dynamics. The build-and-release nature of Post-Metal is here translated into its Doom counterpart with the same effective results.

Like Doom? Like Of Spire & Throne.

Raum Kingdom – Raum Kingdom (Review)

Raum Kingdom are from Ireland and this is their début EP.

They play Post-Metal in the Cult of Luna/Isis style, showing that they have learnt their trade well from the masters but are now more than capable of branching out on their own.

Vocally the songs employ mainly deep shouts and cleans. Curiously, for a genre as diverse and potentially experimental as Post-Metal clean vocals are still relatively uncommon, so it’s a nice added touch to the band, especially when they’re done this well. Regardless of what style of vocals are employed the singer has a good voice and the band put him to good use.

The music is as sprawling and emotive as any in Post-Metal. The songs are more concise than some though, with average song lengths a bit shorter than some bands of this genre, and only one track, (This Sullen Hope), approaching the 10 minute mark. The entire EP clocks in at just under 30 minutes.

I enjoy this kind of music as even though you know the loose framework of Post-Metal is invariably based on the legendary trio of Cult of Luna/Isis/Neurosis, you can rarely predict exactly how a given band is going to sound or what aspects of the masters they’re going to emphasize. This is before you even take into account the things they add themselves of course.

Raum Kingdom have good songwriting and the clean vocals are a definite boon to the songs. This release shows a maturity and strength of focus that will benefit the band across many releases to come and they already make this début shine brighter than most.

There is a core of strength and power to these songs. The band have made a big impression and here’s to even bigger things to come for them in the future.

An absolute top quality release. Check this out.

Monolithe – Zero/II (Review)

France’s Monolithe play Doom. And lots of it.

This is a review of two releases, Zero and II, both of which are reissues.

Zero contains one new intro track, as well as the entirety of their Interlude First and Interlude Second EPs. Both have been completely remastered, as well as the two tracks that comprised Interlude Second being combined together into one long song. You can read my original review of Interlude Second here.

II is their second album, containing one 50 minute song, and has also been completely remastered.

So what’s changed? Essentially the sound is a lot fuller, well-rounded and less plastic feeling. The originals had a perfectly fine sound of course, but the songs now sound as if they are clearer, warmer and just plain better. The instruments are in a better place balance-wise and the bass seems more noticeable as well.

Monolithe specialise in epic Doom of the long variety, with lots to take in and some space-age effects added into the mix.

Deep, bowel-shaking growls accompany the music and the band create dirge-like soundscapes that accompany the listener on a musical journey through unexpected places and wide vistas of possibilities.

If you’re unfamiliar with Monolithe these are an excellent set of releases to start with.

I heartily recommend both.

Semara – Old Man’s Tale (Review)

Semara are a Post-Metal band from Sweden.

This is their first release and it contains 4 tracks, just under 30 minutes of music.

This is Post-Metal fashioned after the Isis/Cult of Luna/Neurosis pantheon and straight off it’s clear that Semara have a good grasp of what makes the genre a compelling one.

The guitars are also reminiscent of Red Sparowes, with a haunting and light feeling to them; combined with a heavier Cult if Luna-take on some of the rhythm guitars it’s a nice mixture of the two.

The band have the entire build/release, light/heavy angle covered and musically they know their way around the instruments.

There is nuance and subtlety to the music and Semara show that they understand the Post-Metal dynamic well.

The singer produces a good throaty roar and adequately bellows his way through the tracks. His is a brutal voice that punctuates the more melodically fragile music. The Earth Turns is probably the strongest track out of the four as it has the most vocal variation, (cleans as well as roared shouts), and is the most musically developed and individual of the songs.

A promising start for this band. If on their next release they return with a stronger production and continue to develop their sound then they could do well.

Have a listen and see what you think.

Necropoli – I (Review)

Necropoli are from Italy and play Funeral Doom. This is their début album.

This is heavy Funeral Doom Metal with a strong Death Metal foundation underpinning everything.

There is background orchestration, keyboards and effects; these are not flowery or ostentations but rather eerie and aura-enhancing.

The long songs slowly unfold with the heavy barrage of slowed down brutality mixing with Dark Ambient sounds and faint glimpses Industrial Electronica.

The colossally deep vocals drive everything forwards like a relentless taskmaster.

Akin to recent releases from the likes of Eye of Solitude, Doom:VS and Decembre Noir, this is just as bleakly emotive and atmospheric but with longer songs and a lot more brutality and harshness on display.

This album reminds of the constant onslaught of a band like Esoteric if they had more Funeral Doom influences and keyboards.

Rich, layered and with a definite gloomy texture, this is an evocative release that mixes the best of the crawling slowness of Doom and the heavy crushing nature of Death Metal.

Nearly an hour of demolishing desolation for your consideration.