Doom – Page 124 – Wonderbox Metal

Natanas – Eram Numquam Amicum Vestrum (Review)

A one-man Black Metal act from the US; this is the latest release from Natanas, although at the prolific rate he releases material, it might not be by the time I’ve written this…

I’ve enjoyed watching Natanas progress in the relatively short time since its inception, (here, here, here and here), and it’s always a pleasure to listen to the latest horrorful dirge that the man unleashes on the world.

Eram Numquam Amicum Vestrum is a little different than previous releases. It still shares a lot of the same hallmarks, but this time it’s a bit angrier and more Black Metal. That might sound like an odd thing to say, considering all of his releases have been Black Metal, but I suppose I mean it’s a bit more traditionally Black Metal – although a lot of Black Metal fans would probably still blanch at this as his work remains on the raw, underground, under-produced side of things.

The music is Doom-laden, filth-ridden Black Metal that carries an artistry to it despite the primitive veneer that it wields like a sharp stick. The rhythm guitars somehow find a way to be mournful and rabid at the same time, while the leads add a lot of rich content to the songs and provide a pointed outlet for all of these emotions. The screamed vocals are some of his best to date; understated and low in the mix, but still totally despondently savage.

The tracks are less songs and more essays on how to channel anger and sorrow in musical form in an atavistic and cathartic way.

I think this is probably my favourite Natanas release, actually. Although I really enjoy the more experimentally dark nature of his other work, this album has more coherence and focus about it, resulting in an album that has a lot going for it. Traces of his previous work remain, of course, and these add extra flavour to the album, ensuring that it doesn’t become stale or one-dimensional.

If you’re the kind of person who gets off on raw, underground Black Metal then this is a must.

Bosque – Beyond (Review)

Bosque is a one-man Doom band from Portugal. This is his third album.

This is mournful, slow Funeral Doom that’s wonderfully despondent and drenched in desolate negativity. The music reeks of isolation and loss.

The guitars have the timbre of a Black Metal album, but enslaved and put to work down the Doom Metal mines. This lends Bosque quite a distinct blackened feel while still staying mainly in the Funeral Doom camp.

There’s a severe minimalism here too, fed further by the Black Metal aesthetics, that manages to successfully convey a huge amount of darkly emotive themes with limited tools.

The vocals are low-in-the-mix cleans that sound completely anguished and forlorn. Their sorrowful delivery reminds the listener in no uncertain terms that everything is pointless and nothing has any meaning, other than what is given, and even that is probably worthless.

The songs are quality exemplars of the style and it’s easy to get lost in the misery on Beyond.

It’s rare that you hear Funeral Doom quite this nihilistically bleak and delivered with such conviction.

Recommended.

Favourite Track: Paradox.

Battle Path – Ambedo (Review)

Battle Path are a Progressive Blackened Doom band from the US and this is their third album.

After two extremely gratifying releases, Battle Path are back with a slight change in direction. This time the band have shifted to a more experimental version of their sound, adding keyboards and synths to create expansive songs with an increase in atmosphere.

The blackened bile is still here though, it’s just now wrapped up in a Progressive Metal coating that gives it quite a 70s sheen in some ways, although not properly of course as they didn’t have Black Metal back then. But if they did…

The crushing Doom is still here too. It’s also swaddled in atmospherics that makes everything sound grander and more epic than the band’s previous work. It’s heavy, emotive and devastating.

In reality, of course, there’s no clear delineation between the Black Metal and Doom aspects, with everything flowing and merging together quite nicely. The band have merely added to this already potent cocktail with keyboards/synths, as well as some Post-Metal influences here and there, reminiscent of Cult of Luna, (as embodied on the instrumental title track, for example); in some ways the band are mirroring Cult of Luna’s development into more experimental pastures that offer a wider, more expansive musical scope. Battle Path and Cult of Luna don’t really sound like each other though, it should be stressed, but they do seem to be on similar journeys in some respects.

Vocally we get harsh, blackened screams for the most part, although these are added to by some bowel-shakingly deep growls on occasion. These are used relatively minimally compared to a lot of bands, with the music being allowed to do the talking for the most part, even when the serrated screams are ringing out.

With this album Battle Path have improved and progressed on their already impressive sound and have produced an album that shows a band truly coming into their own. The added progressive elements have enhanced and improved their core delivery so that Ambedo is a truly wonderful listen.

I loved Battle Path before this, and it seems that I love them even more now.

Hellhookah – Endless Serpents (Review)

Hellhookah are a Traditional Doom Metal band from Lithuania. This is their début album.

This is Traditional Doom Metal for fans of bands like Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus, Pentagram and Trouble. The album is 35 minutes long and has 7 tracks, one of which is a Saint Vitus cover.

With both eyes firmly on the past, Hellhookah peel off the riffs that mark the style and these songs are easily digested.

I find that these songs are at their best the slower and more moody that the band play, such as on tracks like Endless Serpents.

The singer has a decent voice that does the job required. There’s no complaints in this department.

This entire album has a very authentic sound; it could have been recorded decades ago and just recently unearthed.

A not-unpleasant way to spend half an hour – have a listen and see what you think.

Agoraphobic Nosebleed – Arc (Review)

This is the latest release from legendary US Grinders Agoraphobic Nosebleed, although it should be noted that this release is somewhat of an abnormality, much like 2009’s Agorapocalypse. Whereas Agorapocalypse was looking at extremity from a Thrash perspective though, Arc takes in the view from a dirty great Sludge one.

This is a new and different side of the band – heavy and full of Doom. It’s a filthy, Southern-tinged slab of ugly Sludge Metal that still carries the taste of the band’s core aggression and nastiness.

The singer’s harsh screams tear out from the roiling, churning music. Her voice is sharp and serrated, cutting through the thick Sludge of the guitars with ease.

Not a Daughter is an Eyehategod-inspired seven minutes of foulness that is abrasive enough to sand down anything; all thunderous riffs and cataclysmic drums.

Deathbed follows this with a Doomier take on the style, deliberately crawling and evil in tone. Deep, guttural growls join in for this one too, adding a more menacing note to the aggressive screams. About halfway through the track picks up with a huge Southern-styled riff that gives the track quite a jaunty edge and ups the energy levels quite a bit.

Closing the EP is Gnaw, which is also the longest track here. It’s a monolithic 12 minutes of heavy riffs, angry screams and nihilistic feelings. There’s a pounding rhythmic quality to it that really drives the song home.

A positive progression for the band, in what is apparently the first in a series of four EPs, all differently themed around the preferred music tastes of the individual band members. I now eagerly look forward to the next one.

Old Forest – Dagian (Review)

Old Forest are a Black Metal band from the UK and this is their third album.

This album features four long songs and a fair amount of variety across the 48 minute playing time. The band play Atmospheric Black Metal that has a contemporary feel with nods towards the Pagan, Folk, Gothic, Depressive and Progressive sub-genres of Black Metal.

These additional influences make their presence felt during the tracks and manifest in different ways, from exploratory sections, to enhancing cleans, to Folk instrumentation, subtle synths, and more.

It’s a hugely impressive demonstration of musical ability and songwriting skill; even only a couple of minutes into the first track Morwen, with its Doom-laden intro and understated-yet-powerful cleans, you know this is going to be a special release.

The songs have a lot of content, all contained in a modern Black Metal wrapping and serviced by a recording that’s meaty enough to do the material justice without loosing its Blackened lustre.

The emotive guitars do everything requested of them with ease, whether this is playing fast, slow, or even at a good rocking pace. The guitars serve as a bedrock for the other instruments to be built around, both the standard ones such as the drums and bass, and the non-standard ones that serve to add so much additional atmosphere to the tracks.

Vocals are as varied and interesting as the music; Blackened screams, Gothic cleans and lots in the middle.

Old Forest have produced a very gratifying release that manages to successfully combine old and new into a cohesive atmospheric package. Dagian is impressive, emotive and destined for a lot of positive feedback I would imagine.

For any fans of expressive Atmospheric Black Metal.

Eternal Black – Eternal Black (Review)

This is the début EP from US Doom/Stoner band Eternal Black.

Eternal Black play Traditional Doom Metal, (à la Saint Vitus), filtered through a filthy lens and incorporating an influence from bands like Down, Corrosion of Conformity, Orange Goblin and a touch of Eyehategod in the riffs.

The songs pass by with a pleasant rumbling and a companionable fuzzy delivery. The singer’s measured drawl is familiar enough to be enticing, but individual enough to carry off.

With decent grooves and an ear for a good riff, these three songs are over before you realise, despite each lasting about 5-6 minutes each.

A good, earthy sound that’s not too polished breathes life into the tracks, and all of the instruments are clear enough to be heard.

The songs are catchy, memorable and enjoyable. What more is there to say, really?

Recommended.

Bedowyn – Blood of the Fall (Review)

This is the début album from US Metal band Bedowyn.

Bedowyn’s sound is a mix of the contemporary and classic, combining Metal, Stoner, Doom and Alternative Metal into a 49 minute adventure. Corrosion of Conformity meets Mastodon is not too bad of a description, but that’s only a starting point really.

The problem with the majority of bands that get compared to Mastodon in any way is because of the nature of Mastodon, most of these bands just sound derivative and trite; I’m pleased to say that this isn’t the case with Bedowyn, as they may remind of Mastodon in places but there’s more than enough other influences, all infused with the band’s own personality, to make it merely one reference of many.

The band certainly have the songwriting skill to back up these lofty comparisons and Blood of the Fall is rammed full of explosive tunes and outright anthems.

Using lively drums, spirited guitars and even the odd synth, Bedowyn pound through the playing time with enthusiasm and enough depth to make repeat plays mandatory.

The singer has a charismatic and well-used voice that treads just the right line between rough and silken. He clearly knows what he’s doing and adds further layers to music that’s already multi-faceted and rich.

This is a top quality album that shines through with quality songs and catchiness.

Definitely check this one out.

Of Spire & Throne – Sanctum in the Light (Review)

Of Spire & Throne are a UK Doom band and this is their début album.

Having enjoyed their previous work, (Toll of the Wound, for example), it’s about time we had a full-length release from this colossal Doom band.

Yes, colossal is the right word, as Of Spire & Throne specialise in dirty great huge Doom with an oppressively dark atmosphere and a morbid pace.

The 4 tracks on this release crawl by as the 54 minutes is taken up by malevolent Doom that has a filthy Sludge underbelly. There’s also a bit of Ambient/Drone/Noise thrown in here and there for good measure.

Sanctum of the Light contains music that does a lot with a little. There’s nothing fancy or flashy here, quite the opposite in fact; this is a band that achieves what they need to with a minimalist approach that still sees them sound louder and fuller than a band with twice the members, (they’re a three-piece).

This simplistic approach works well as the songs have a raw honesty to them that allows an emotional intensity to be fostered in the bowels of these despairing paeans to negativity. Simply put – the band know how to write good Doom.

This is a release that draws you in with the promise of crushing Doom and keeps you close in its suffocating embrace by providing music that has more than enough depth to drown in.

As I’ve said before – like Doom? Like Of Spire & Throne.

Dolven – Navigating the Labyrinth (Review)

Dolven are from the US and this is their début album.

Dolven are an unusual proposition. They play acoustic Neo-Folk Doom. That’s right; unusual and unexpected, but it works. Electric guitars are used, but only for solos, and only very sparingly.

With only three songs having vocals, this is a largely instrumental release. It’s designed to be expansive and atmospheric, juxtaposing the beautiful with the terrible darkness of existence. Grand claims I know, but once again, it works.

This is not the kind of music you idly throw on when you’re getting ready to go out, (unless you’re of a particular mindset, of course), rather it’s the kind of release that demands more attention from you. This is not hastily-consumed, throwaway music; this is music that has depth and soul, insofar as anything can be said to.

These tracks have both a lightness and heaviness to them, a sideline of the eternal war between light and dark, pointlessness and meaningfulness. It’s a surprisingly emotive journey through 42 minutes, one that reminds just how expressive acoustic guitars can actually be in the right hands. The thing which springs to mind as I listen to this is Scream of the Butterfly by Acid Bath, which is one Hell of a compliment as that’s one Hell of a song.

When they do appear, the vocals are deep and mournful, emphasizing the Doom aspect of the slow, thoughtful music.

This is an album that’s unexpectedly enticing, drawing you in with its veiled charms into a world of almost-medieval Neo-Folk, all translated through the lens of Doom Metal and re-transcribed into acoustic interpretations that carry the weight of influence from its former incarnations into what is ultimately its final form – Navigating the Labyrinth.

Fed up of the same old thing and looking for something a bit different? If so, in many ways this is as impressive and essential as it gets.