This is the part of the year where I try to catch up with albums I might have missed over the course of the year. My old pals over at Cvlt Nation are a good well to dip from, though they tend to lean into more of the punk side of every genre, while I prefer my stuff to be more polished without sounding like Dream Theater or radio rock. So chekcing out this funeral doom band from the UK, that was under my radar. I like where they go with the opening track; even if it is 11 minutes long, they are playing slow, so it takes time to get there. Could they have had less buildup at the beginning and streamlined this down to nine minutes? Sure, but it is not a deal breaker.
What is working here is the sonic darkness they are bringing, with eerie melodies to balance out the low growl of the vocals. For the second song, they are more aggressive with a touch of black metal influence in their gas tank. The cool guitar melodies float more toward the background, as things slow from the feral outbursts to the more deliberate pound. The low growl of the vocal becomes more of a texture thing. In the last three minutes of this one, they bring things together for a harrowing groove. It has a bit of a sludge edge with the noise it kicks up.
The ambiance kicked up the guitar tone alone on this album is cool, as it rings out with cold unease going into "Transcending the Immortal Gateway". I like the very depressive vibes they are laying down with this one, which finds the guitars weeping with the melody. The last song might benefit from the sound of the pipe organ to create a more funereal mood, it then set against the howl of burly vocals. It's more straightforward and my least favorite of the four songs but still works. Overall, this is a great album. I will give it a 9 and keep a closer ear out for this band, as I am hopeful for where they go from here.
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