November is Doom- Oromet : "the Sinking Isle"

 

The second album from this California-based duo finds that the potency of weed is not waning in the Golden State. My first question is, does the first song really need to be 20 minutes long? We could have gotten their point if the folk intro was cut down but half, so that's a one and a half trimmed already. It evokes the kind of lingering doom lethargy that earns the title of funeral doom, with the low growl of the vocals mixed in the background under the sonic procession of guitar that brings Mournful Congregation to mind. I like the sound they have crafted, as it is heavier sonically than it is heavy metal. The chord sails in their drone it is in some way almost likea cross between shoegaze and kraut rock when the dynamic scope of what your ears are bathed in is fully digested.

 However, there are not many occasions whcih I want to let a song play for twenty minutes as I already have so much music I need to be listening to, but even a more caual listner who is not reviewing several album a day needs to many sonic colors in their day that a 20 minute commit to one droning song is a great deal to ask. 11 minutes is a much easier ask of my time. Though even then, while I liked what happened in the first song, I am going to need more from them than simply repeating that formula. As it is I am trying to compromise with these guys on the fact that they have placed the bulk of the focus on capturing a sound rather than writing a song. With that said it is surprising that funeral doom is my favorite doom sub-genre, but I want it done in a manner more like what Evoken jsut wowed me with. 

The second song is called 'Matathon," which might have been a more fitting name for the first. This one works off darker, lower, and more ominous frequencies. The is a chorus of voices layered to sound like a hellish choir of monks being drowned in hell for this one. There is a little more of a dynamic ebb and flow, and the vocals carry more purpose on this song. I listened to the last song a few times, and while I like the mournful mood that clashes with the more atmospheric soaring, it works off throbbing layers with subtle melodies guiding you, rather than being a song that hooks you in to draw you back for more. I think a 9 is on the generous side of fair, given the song lengths but it is an experience I enjoyed. 

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