Blackened Doom – Page 11 – Wonderbox Metal

Usnea – Random Cosmic Violence (Review)

Usnea 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.

Atriarch – An Unending Pathway (Review)

Atriarch are from the US and this is their third album. They play Blackened Doom Metal.

Atriarch play a curious mix of Doom and Blackened Gothic Rock. Neurosis-style Doom and dark-Stoner sensibilities combine with almost-Darkwave Pop moments and Blackened influences. The juxtaposition of the two is handled well and is an uncommon approach. The band have certainly developed their own style in this regard and are to be applauded.

Each of the tracks take elements of these influences and blend them together to greater or lesser extents so that the resulting album has a unique character and flavour to it.

Genre-shifting in mid-song is a hard thing to do well and not many bands attempt it for this reason. Atriarch have not completely mastered it but they’re definitely more proficient at it than most. There is a lot of variety, interest and depth to these songs because of how good they are at merging their differing influences and distilling them into something that works well for the listener to enjoy.

An Unending Pathway is the kind of album that is unexpected and abnormal. Some people won’t take to their individuality, of course, but I believe that as long as the music’s good anything a bit different should be embraced and supported.

Atriarch are a bit different, their music is very good indeed and therefore you should embrace and support them. Off you go.

Dysphorian Breed – The Longing for the Tides of Metamorphosis (Review)

Dysphorian Breed is a one-man band from Sweden and this is his début album of Funeral Doom/Death.

This release is all about the atmosphere and the creation of bleak soundscapes full of funereal promise.

Deep, dark vocals erupt over Blackened Doom melodies that reek of crushing despair.

Keyboard highlights mournfully soar over the slow moving dirge as emotive guitars drag themselves through the mire of misery that’s evoked.

Double bass drumming adds a bit of spice and speed to events without losing the overall downbeat feeling.

The album flirts with Gothic moods and the slight Blackened tinge to the guitars gives the songs an edge over similar bands.

As début albums go this is an emotive and resonant expression of dark negativity and the power it can have to fuel the creative.

An enjoyable ride through the desolate.

Secrets of the Sky – To Sail Black Waters (Review)

This is US band Secrets of the Sky’s début album.

Secrets of the Sky play interesting Progressive Doom/Post-Metal that has a good dollup of Post-Black Metal/Blackened Doom mixed in as well. So many sub-genre labels! As you’ve probably gathered they have a fair bit going on.

The band have a firm grasp of dynamics and of the heavy/light aspects of their sound, and although the songs are of a good length, they also raise the tempo when they need to.

A very sturdy production allows the instruments to sound very solid. Everything is played proficiently and the songwriting makes the most of this.

The music is a pleasing blend of the above, already diverse, sub-genres. Doom riffs, Post-Metal meanderings, Blackened melodics and sound-walls all contribute to the feel of a very colossal album. Extra instrumentation/effects enhance the tracks on occasion adding to an already rich palette.

Largely, the band are are both heavy and dark. Wisely, however, they juxtapose this against lighter, acoustic sections, more hopeful refrains and moments of brighter atmosphere amidst the murk.

Vocally the singer grunts and screams his way over the towering guitars and iron-cast drumming. It’s not until the second song Decline that clean vocals are used for the first time; these are expertly delivered and raise the bar extremely high.

This is a highly accomplished album, all the more impressive for being their first. Highly recommended; whatever secrets the sky holds is obviously serving them well. Seek this out and learn from them.

Favourite Track: Decline. A masterwork in emotive expression and dynamic melodics.

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.