Dead Witches – Ouija (Review)

Dead WitchesDead Witches are a doom metal band form the UK and this is their debut album.

Dead Witches feature past and current members of Electric Wizard, Ramesses and Psychedelic Witchcraft. Listening to Ouija you can expect slow, hypnotic doom metal that worships at the altar of Pentagram, Saint Vitus and, yes, Electric Wizard. Continue reading “Dead Witches – Ouija (Review)”

Lucifer’s Fall – II: Cursed & Damned (Review)

Lucifer's FallLucifer’s Fall are an Australian doom metal band and this is their second album.

We know Lucifer’s Fall from their 2014 debut album Lucifer’s Fall and their 2015 EP, (the title track of which also appears on this latest album). Continue reading “Lucifer’s Fall – II: Cursed & Damned (Review)”

Ordog – The Grand Wall (Review)

OrdogOrdog are from Finland and play death/doom metal. This is their fifth album.

Okay, so let’s start this review off in no uncertain terms – The Grand Wall is a great album. There. I said it.

The songs follow mournful, misery-drenched themes, as is the norm for this style of music, although Ordog seem quite happy to crank up the aggression when they need to. Due to the overall sorrowful atmospheres though, this is a negatively-charged aggression that keeps within the over-arching framework that the band have set for themselves. Continue reading “Ordog – The Grand Wall (Review)”

Self-Hatred – Theia (Review)

Self-HatredThis is the debut album from Self-Hatred, a doom/death metal band from the Czech Republic.

Self-Hatred are, refreshingly, a little different to your standard doom/death band; this is a slightly more contemporary take on the style than most attempt, although it still recognises and is influenced by the founders of this particular sub-genre. I also like the black metal influences that can be heard creeping into the music here and there, which also give Self-Hatred a different angle of attack than a lot of their peers. Continue reading “Self-Hatred – Theia (Review)”

Interview with Vanha

Vanha Logo

Welcome to the world of Vanha. On the one hand it’s a very bleak and desolate world, filled with heartache and misery. On the other hand though, it’s a world full of rich beauty and textured emotive soundscapes. Within the Mist of Sorrow charts and documents themes of suffering and sadness in such a way that the listener is moved by the music and the emotive performance within.

Jan “Janne” Johansson (Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards) and Jesse Oinas (Drums) are Continue reading “Interview with Vanha”

Aseethe – Hopes of Failure (Review)

AseetheAseethe are a doom band from the US. This is their second album.

I like Aseethe. Over the years they’ve produced a very respectable body of work, one which is most enjoyable and should be checked out by anyone into doom with drone-like qualities and plenty of heaviness. Continue reading “Aseethe – Hopes of Failure (Review)”

Vanha – Within the Mist of Sorrow (Review)

VanhaVanha are a doom/death metal band from Sweden. This is their debut album.

This is atmospheric doom metal with some death metal elements added in for extra bite, primarily in the vocal department.

Rooted in the old school doom/death style of the 90s, Vanha combine heaviness, melody and sorrowful keyboards to produce an album that manages to crush both physically and emotionally. Continue reading “Vanha – Within the Mist of Sorrow (Review)”

Revelations of Rain – Akrasia (Review)

Revelations of RainRevelations of Rain are a doom/death metal band from Russia. This is their fifth album.

This is music with a richly melodic streak running through it. Taking influence from the classic old-school doom/death bands in the 90s, the band pump out 8 tracks of heavy, emotive metal, full of dark colour and deep impression.

Delivered with a traditional authenticity for this kind of music, Revelations of Rain know Continue reading “Revelations of Rain – Akrasia (Review)”

1914 – Eschatology of War (Review)

1914This is the debut album from Ukrainian blackened death/doom band 1914.

I really enjoyed this band’s 2016 split with Minenwerfer, so thought it was time to catch up with their 2015 full-length album Eschatology of War.

With a World War I theme, Eschatology of War is a heavy, martial beast that relentlessly marches forwards overcoming all opposition with strength of numbers and a formidable will. Continue reading “1914 – Eschatology of War (Review)”

Suffer Yourself – Ectoplasm (Review)

Suffer YourselfSuffer Yourself are Ukrainian/Swedish and play atmospheric doom/death metal. This is their second album.

This is atmospheric doom/death with an emphasis on long, slow songs that are filled with morbid beauty and hopeless despair.

The pace is torturously slow, but we like it that way. The band take their time to carefully build atmosphere through relentless heavy distortion and lighter, more restrained passages; frequently combined together. Continue reading “Suffer Yourself – Ectoplasm (Review)”