Doom – Page 99 – Wonderbox Metal

Eleanora – EP (Review)

Eleanora are from Belgium and play Sludge/Post-Hardcore. This is their début release.

Intense and fierce; Eleanora pour their hearts into these two tracks and the result is as scathing as it is satisfying.

Dark melodies and throat-ripping vocals are the order of the day. Heavy walls of guitars and solid drums crash and damage the landscape around them.

The vocal performance is impressively energetic and violent. Both the music and the vocals are gloriously passionate and emotive.

This is a short EP of only two tracks, a mere taster really. Consider my palette firmly whetted. This is a superb display of Post-Hardcore/Screamo-influenced Sludge and if this is anything to go by the eventual album that they will hopefully release should see the band become major players in this style of music.

It’s always a great feeling discovering a new, excellent band.

Servants of the Mist – Gross Knowledge of Genital Mutilation (Review)

This is the latest EP from US Sludge/Doom Metal band Servants of the Mist.

The EP is 25 minutesin length and after the perfunctory intro we’re into the feedback-drenched first song Undeserving, which at just under 12 minutes serves as the centrepiece of the release.

The music is crushing, monolithic Doom with a corrupted, rotten Sludge veneer and a core of pure hatred.

We get bowel-loosening deep vocals and piercing high-pitched ones, both sound great and complement the music perfectly.

A deep aura of misery pervades these tracks and the band do all they can to punish and obliterate the listener with their steady, slow assault.

This is a really enjoyable form of dank Doom that just won’t give up; the strongly oppressive feeling of the tracks makes for a compelling release that sticks in the mind long after the last foetid chord has faded.

The band have enough talent that whether they are playing agonisingly slow Doom or slightly-more-upbeat Sludge they do it with obvious passion and with riffs to die for.

Negatively emotive and bleakly enticing; Servants of the Mist really know how to write a good Doom tune.

I mean, honestly; if you’re at all into this kind of music what’s not to like here?

Idre – Idre (Review)

Idre are from the US and play Doom.

This is made up of two tracks; the first is 26 minutes long and the second 13 minutes long. As you can probably guess this is a band who likes to take their time.

Factorie is the first track and it starts off with a good, solid Doom riff to set the scene, before exploring subtler climes for a while. When the vocals kick in it’s surprising as instead of the gruff shouting I was expecting we get almost County-esque cleans with a dirty intonation. Think of Neurosis, but the vocals even remind of a band like Soul Savers on occasion and add a different aspect to the band that immediately differentiates them from the masses.

The entire song is a meandering exploration of bucolic pastures punctuated with heavier interludes and atmosphere building. It’s an impressive slow burner and worth the time invested.

The second song is Witch Trial which follows in a similar slow-burning vein with the relaxed vocals coasting on top of the emotive music as the song crests to crescendo. It’s another superbly executed track that is heavily invested with feeling and works its magic subtly.

The recording is unpolished but not in a bad way. It has a very naturalistic sounding production that is slightly too rounded to be called raw and not quite ugly enough to be called filthy. A good word would be earthy, I suppose. It’s a good choice that works well with the music, especially for the charismatic vocals that seem to draw you in with their rustic charms.

This is a very enjoyable and engaging release that feels rather more individual and intimate than other bands who have a sound that makes them feel more sanitised than they might otherwise sound had they a slightly different recording. Idre allows the listener in and lets them get up close and personal with the band. This allows for a special relationship with the music rather than it being simply another musical commodity to be consumed.

And to think, this is merely the début of this talented band. Big things, I tell you, big things.

Fange – Poisse (Review)

Fange are from France and play Sludge Metal. This is their first release.

Ooooohhhh this is has got one Hell of a sexy, filthy, fuzzbastard sound! This is the kind of dirty Sludge I like!

Big beats and harsh, swampy riffs combined with feedback and desolate Doom atmospheres means the songs are like trawling though a mire, (Fange = mire in French). You are struggling for air as the boggy grime seeps into your pores and gets under your skin and into every orifice. Doesn’t sound very nice? It isn’t, but then Sludge should never be nice.

There are some great, bouncy riffs here in addition to the slower onslaughts. Cloches Fendues is a great example as it alternates between a dirty Stoner-esque riff and apocalyptic Doom. Top stuff.

The vocals are low in the mix like something just under the surface. Shrieking, snarling, chanting, beseeching, shouting, spitting, vomiting; who knows what they’re actually doing but suffice to say that the singer’s clearly into it.

Hidden behind the miasma of unclean riffing the band actually have a firm grasp of atmosphere. Ammoniac displays a masterful use of subtle tension to greatly enhance the feeling of danger that the song already gives off.

A good amount of variety, violent playfulness and content sees this release firmly in the winner’s category; 29 minutes of Sludge Metal that takes the standard Eyehategod template, covers it in a tonne of sewage and plays with the remains.

For fans of ugly music done right.

Favourite Track: Suaire. Sludge-tastic.

Mournful Congregation – Concrescence Of The Sophia (Review)

This is the latest EP from Australia’s Doom kings Mournful Congregation.

This is Funeral Doom played slow and insistent. The band have honed their skills over many a long year and this latest release sees them shaping and unleashing two new tracks on the world.

The first song Concrescence Of The Sophia is a 21:41 minute trawl through all things Funeral; the band having refined their sense of dirge to the point of exquisite melancholy and dampened moods. Here we are taken through a slowly unwinding journey where flowing riffs, acoustic passages and deep, end-of-the-world vocals are your travel companions.

The song plays like a slowed down hymn to all things rotten and weary, and just when things pick up slightly and some semblance of speed emerges, all of a sudden hope is lost and we’re back to the misery of existence once more. Suffice to say, in the context of Doom Metal this is a very good thing.

The second song, Silence Of The Passed, seems rather short at 8:56 minutes after this, although the content more than makes up for it. The riffs are warmer and more melodic than the previous composition, although it’s all relative of course as this still crawls along compared to most songs. Nevertheless, the atmosphere and aura is all encompassing and perfectly matched to the longer, more drawn out first track.

Each song works well as a companion piece to the other; similar enough to be recognisable as part of a whole, but differentiated enough not to repeat itself.

This release is worth the acquisition. Let Mournful Congregation into your life and let the despair run through you.

http://www.mournfulcongregation.com/

Ruins/Usnea – Split (Review)

This split is between German band Ruins and Usnea who are from the US.

Ruins are first with their track Discrimen. It starts with an eerie riff and then builds in the bass and drums with a lumbering gait like some twisted swamp creature stalking its prey. This develops into a very satisfying riff that still manages to sound a little uneasy even while it’s rocking out.

The vocals are dirty and deep, sounding like some balaclava-wearing bruiser who’s only out to hurt you. These change about halfway through to a slightly more emotive sounding semi-clean and the song becomes energised.

Ruins are a curious blending of Crust/Hardcore and Sludge with even a slight hint of Post-Metal in the mix. Either way it makes for an enticing listen and I think I’ll be looking into what else this band has done.

After Ruins we get Usnea with Only the End of the World. Usnea are great band who have released an excellent self-titled début album of Blackened Doom, which I heartily advise everyone to immediately go and get. I was especially interested to hear their half of this split as at just under 6 minutes in length it’s a lot shorter than any of the songs on their album.

Their contribution is slower and more monolithic than that of Ruins; with the song seemingly dragging itself along against the burden of time immemorial.

The chasm-like vocals seem to open wide and swallow the light. They appear like fissures under the foundations of the song and it seems like it would be so easy to fall into the blackness there. Later as the higher vocals come in the massive holes in the world are replaced with piercing shrieks that cause their own no-less fatal puncture wounds.

Usnea don’t disappoint. It may be shorter than their other work but that doesn’t stop them from making the most of the playing time and ramming it chock full with Doom delights.

A highly recommended EP. Two great songs from two great bands. Seek it out.

Enola – The Light Fröm Below (Review)

Enola are from France and play Post-Metal.

This is the band’s first EP, although at 36 minutes it’s longer than some albums.

They start off confident and only get more so from here. Post-Metal is such a loose term for a lot of different potential sub-genres that all vaguely fit around the quite open-to-interpretation blueprints left behind by the masters – Neurosis/Isis/Cult of Luna.

After this it’s up to the individual bands to make of it what they will, and even combine with other genres and make wonderful things happen. This is one of the reasons it can be such a hotbed of talent and creativity.

So what of Enola then? Well, as stated above they have made their own way in this now crowded genre and have injected a bit of a Screamo/Hardcore element into the equation and could quite comfortably be termed Post-Hardcore.

The songs are big on melody and atmosphere, created by just the basic instruments. They’re played with a passion and an emphasis on musical exploration and expression of angst and rage tempered with something more subtle.

The Light Fröm Below brings to mind two recent releases I’ve reviewed – Eryn Non Dae and N. Tesla; Enola seem to share common ground with both bands while adding the aforementioned Hardcore influences into the mix.

This is a very accomplished and proficient band; confident too, as stated earlier, as the songs have a strong sense of self and direction you might not always expect from a first release.

The songs have heaviness with an in-built fragility. The vocals share this seeming dichotomy as they are largely rough and angry sounding whilst remaining emotive and open at the same time. There are also frequent spoken words and semi-sung parts that have a clear link to their Hardcore lineage. Clean singing is rare, but when it does appear, (first on The Door), it’s exceptionally handled.

This is a truly remarkable release, especially so for such a new band. It’s bands like this that always make me happy to be into this kind of music. This is a real treat. If this is only an EP then their first album should be devastating.

Do yourself a favour and get this.

Abstracter – Tomb of Feathers (Review)

This is the debut album from US Sludge/Post-Metal/Doom band Abstracter.

This is a bit of a corker. Heavy, winding, aggressive but also refined when needed.

The harsh vocals are suitably caustic in nature and some slightly unusual cleans add a further layer to the music. The clean vocals offer unorthodox highlights and never take the obvious route with their melodies.

This is Post-Metal drowned in Sludge. The filth and grim disease of a forgotten underworld positively drips off the sound as it raises itself up from the dredges to pull down anyone nearby.

Unlike a lot of Post-Metal the Sludge portion of their sound means there’s very little nicety here. The band kick out the angry jams and boy do they know how to write a good riff.

The sound is earthy, organic and complements the rawness of the band extremely well.

Abstracter are a focused singularity of woe and rage, compressed so tightly that not even light can escape once they have it in their clutches. These songs are engaging and absorbing. How is it that this album wasn’t immediately brought to my attention the moment it was birthed by whatever unspeakable ceremony carried it forth?

This is a work of talented individuals who have made who-knows-what kind of bargains to have the much sought after ability to channel something very special into these three tunes. Each song has its own story and manages to be both a journey and a destination in its own right.

If they’re this good already in their very short career, who knows what they will accomplish next? I can’t wait to find out.

Serpentine Path – Emanations (Review)

This is the second album from US Doom Metal band Serpentine Path.

This is heavy. This is very heavy indeed. End of review.

Just kidding. But seriously…this is one heavy album.

This is Doom-laden Sludge Metal with a healthy Old-School Death Metal influence that recalls the slowest of the Old-School masters at their dirgy best.

The band themselves have been kidnapped from all manner of high profile bands and know their stuff. In this context it’s no surprise that Emanations is such a winner. Considering their pedigree it would be a bigger surprise if this album had fallen flat on its face. As if.

The dark atmosphere and colossal riffs seem to fall from a great height to blanket the landscape and crush everything in sight. The leads and musical refrains are splashes of melodic colour in an otherwise pitch black landscape designed to emphasise the fact that all hope is in fact lost and these glimpses of better times are things that you’ll never have again.

Although these nuances of colour are peripheral concerns in the context of the larger song structure as Serpentine Path specialise in a brutal brand of Sludge/Doom that pummels the listener into submission more than lulling them into despair. The fact that these nuances exist however just gives the band more depth than they might otherwise have without them.

The vocals are pretty deep; they don’t reach the guttural lows of pure Death Metal although they do come close. They fit the music better than cookie-monster vocals would though and have an appropriately atavistic quality to them that goes perfectly with the mood the band create.

The album has a strong sound that isn’t overproduced and brings out the best of the gargantuan riffs. I could listen to this over and over again. And I will. For some time. Surely that’s the very definition of a successful album?

Walk down the Serpentine Path. You might not know where it leads but you’re damn sure in for a good journey.

Eyehategod – Eyehategod (Review)

Eyehategod are from the US and this is their fifth album of Sludge.

Okay, so I’m not going to hide it – I absolutely love Eyehategod. Ever since first getting Take as Needed for Pain 20 years ago (!) I’ve been hooked, and they’re one of my all time favourite bands. I say this in the interests of full disclosure, because if you’re looking for a fully objective and impartial review then you’d best move along as I’m so excited about this album it’s ridiculous!

As soon as you press play it’s just so instantly familiar and welcoming, at least to someone who’s comfortable with this style of crawling Metal. Their trademark swampy sound that has spawned literally thousands of imitators is recognisable straight away and it becomes rapidly apparent that the band have lost none of the skill and talent that they’ve had over the course of their long career.

It would be easy to doubt whether this was going to be any good as it’s been a whopping 14 years since their last album, (Confederacy of Ruined Lives), but as any true believer knows these are false doubts, as this album, quite frankly, is fucking brilliant.

The songs are fantastic and the band effortlessly create That Sound that helped spawn and shape the Sludge genre with such ease that each track slides out of the speakers in a haze of murky guitars, Southern-fried riffs, squalling feedback and snarling vocals.

Eyehategod have come to show the pretenders and the wannabes how it’s done.

This is an essential record for any Metal fan. I can’t recommend this enough. Immediately go out and get everything that Eyehategod have ever done. This is important.

Flawless.