LIGHTS OF VIMANA : "Neopolis"

 I am always impressed when a band takes me somewhere different than where I expected and the album to go. This band does that. They are a doom supergroup featuring SLOW, Pantheist, and Void of Silence members. The ambiance they invoke leans into cinematic waves of synths. At times, they create an almost krautrock feel, which is where they diverge from my expectations. The opening track finds mournful sung vocals coming in with a low funeral doom-like growl, offering a call and response. It feels like the song should have ended at the eight and a half minute mark, yet they hold it together with fragile atmosphere. A pretty massive chug comes from this, which works to bring things to a climax. 

"Endure" feels more like early Katatonia. Though it builds into a much heavier vision of death doom, with the growled vocals sounding larger than life amid the boom of the mix, that brightens for guitar melodies.  The guitar solo is very tasteful. The ebb and flow of dynamics remains balanced to place the focus on the song. "Reals" leans into the atmosphere more than the previous song. The guitar playing is still pretty impressive. They jam off of a great deal of interesting sounds, but things tend to drift in this neon cloud the song floats on. The overall sound is still impressive. 

The neon cloud keeps floating in the title track, and while it's easy to get lured into the splendor it invokes, not a song that hooks me in, though to their credit, this is an album that you can leave on and just let play. The vocals hook in a little more solidly to "Remember Me".  The song itself is pretty epic, though, sticking with the common theme of this album, the atmosphere builds its climax, though they do keep more of a metal backbone here than most.  I will give this album a 9, as there is a great mood, and it does's own thing, which can be a rarity in doom that often relies too heavily on sounds of the past. Drops June 13th on Dusktone. 

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The Top 10 Doom Albums of 2018

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It is that time again. Death doom might have been big this year, but there is not a ton of it on this list, as doom needs to be more than just slow death metal. It needs to have a mournful sense to emoting to it and of course dark. This is what keeps it from being just Sabbath worship. The score from my reviews to help determine the ranking , but also how many times Last FM told me I listened to each album.

An album can have all the critical acclaim in the world but if it does not inspire multiple listens then how good can it actually be ?

This year  its an almost even split between new blood being spilled and  more well established acts .  Rather than posting media of a track from each band I am leaving a link to the review, which will contain Bandcamp or Full Album Streams. Ok enough talking about it, the time has come to dig into the top 10 Doom albums of 2018.

10-Altars of Grief-"Iris"

 An interesting album from a band out of Canada that blends several dark shades of metal. It begs the question is the blackened doom in this equation more doom or black metal? The melancholy prevails and there are moments where they play in such a mournful and melodic manner it leans in a more of a Type O Negative or My Dying Bride direction. Often making you ask yourself if they are giving you a mournful ballad or they are going to hit you with every ounce of their fury.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/11/altars-of-grief-iris.html

9-Urfaust- The Constellatory Practice"

 Yes, these guys were once a black metal band of sorts. The vocals are still sung rather operatically but without the same baritone stiffness of previous albums. The bulk of the album feels like a weird ritualistic hypnosis. It creates a sonic shimmer that reminds me a little of Swans. More punishing in it's pounding than the opener, I would not call this black metal, but Urfaust has been defying the bounds of black metal since their last album.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/05/urfaust-constellatory-practice.html

 8-Void of Silence- "the Sky Over"

I love doom, but have grown weary of 15 minute songs. These guys pushed the envelope with theirs and when they get to meat of the matter it's great, with mournful crooned vocals. Luca Soi is on the mic this time around. He gives it almost a Primordial feel, which will please fans who like the album  Alan Averill sang on. The synths are thick and almost threaten to over power the guitars.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/06/void-of-silence-sky-over.html

7-Mournful Congregation-"the Incubus of Karma"

 Things have changed on Australian band's newest release. They are ia shade of a different sonic splendor than what moved their 2011 release"the Book of Kings".  Their 2011 album is what this one is really having to measure up to for me as it caught me up with a more emotional majesty in my initial listen to it. I have liked the glimpses they have offered leading up to this album. "Whispering Spiritscapes" has some shadows to the other wise very clean and streamlined production. The vocals are a little higher in the mix. The guitars are well layered, but it is not like they are still hitting you with the same wall of sound.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/03/mournful-congregation-incubus-of-karma.html

6-Hamferd -"Támsins Likam"


This doom band from the Faroe Islands trade off well sung mournful clean vocals growled vocals . They are very successful at creating a mood. While death doom became more of a thing this year, these guys did it better than most.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/01/hamfer-tamsims-likam.html

5-Deadbird -"the Forest Within the Tree"

 The vocals have a grungey Alice In Chains feel. The guitars are very much legit doom when they kick in. Very layered with clean strums thrown into the chords. While the first shade of vocals we get on this album are cleanly sung they do have grit to them rather than trying to make the melodies soar over the music.The darker moments are really great, some of the more straight up sludge parts, just sound like you would expect that sort of thing to sound, though less Neurosis. The harsher vocals add to things and give a wider depth that Pallbearer doesn't venture into in terms of the range of heaviness.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/09/deadbird-iii-forest-within-tree.html

4-Beastmaker- "Windows of Evil" 



This album is darker and creepier than previous releases. The vocals are a little more Ozzy like than I remember from the first album. "Inside the Skull" didn't catch me as much as the first album. I like what is going on here. It's dark and heavy with thought and hooks put into the song writing.



https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/11/beastmaker-windows-of-evil.html

3-Messa - "Feast For Water" 

 My first thought when I heard them was this is like a metal version of Lana Del Ray. The tempo picks up and they fall closer in line to other "occult" rock of their ilk like Christian Mistress. There is more raw rumble going when they gain speed than what their peers typically muster. It's the dreary mood that kept them from just being lumped into stoner rock.


 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/04/messa-feast-for-water.html

2 Evoken-"Hypnagogia"

 After six years of waiting the Jersey doom band proves why they are America's best when it comes to not only funeral doom, but doom as a whole. This finds them picking up where they left off with "Atra Mors". Sonically it feels similar from a production stand point. Mood wise the atmosphere might be thicker. It's pretty dark, though perhaps not as filled with despair as the previous album. Lyrically it uses World War 1 as a metaphor to things they were going through at the time. This is done without the need to maintain some contrived narrative that concept albums tend to have. These guys are masterful songwriters who don't feel the need to drone on to make their point. The beginning is dreamy with low goth like vocals to bring a darker shade against the music. It builds as needed to give them a big metal ending draped in mournful strings that gets better with each listen.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2018/10/evoken-hypnagogia.html

1-Hangman's Chair -"Banlieue Triste"


 This French band has been around for 13 years, so I am not sure how they have eluded me. In terms of conventional metal, they might not fit neatly into the box. They are heavy in the bleak mood they create. This depressing mood brings them closest to doom if they have to defined. The vocals are the key selling point for me as not a note is wasted and they really sell me on the lyrics. They are in a similar zip code as "Viva Emptiness" era Katatonia, but carrying even more despair. The reason they beat Evoken is while "Hypnagogia" is a beautiful album, it's so dense and grandiose, the songs don't hook me in to demand as many listens as this album did which what I need when I forget to take my meds in the morning.

Void of Silence : "the Sky Over"

It's been 8 years since this band's last album and it opens with a 16 minute song that could have easily been a 11 minute song. I'm a conundrum as I love doom, but have grown weary of 15 minute songs. When this song gets to the meat of the matter it's great, with mournful crooned vocals. Luca Soi is on the mic this time around. He gives it almost a Primordial feel, which will please fans who like the album  Alan Averill sang on. The synths are thick and almost threaten to over power the guitars. There are song interlude the length of normal songs, but all of the album's actual songs are sprawling 15 minute plus epics.

 The title track doesn't' grab me like the opener even though it works off all the same things that made the opener rock. The guitar solo might be marginally more indulgent and gives the song a little more of a jammy quality. I think the vocal melody wanders a little the more I listen to it. Though the ambiance is pretty thick on this one leaving some wide cracks for the vocals to fall into. It feels more like background music than metal which should grab you by the throat.I like the guitar solos that open "Farthest Shores" , but I do think some of the fat could have been trimmed. In fact the first five minutes , which would have brought this down to an 11 minute song. The vocals are stronger here. I like how in the last couple of minutes the song takes a darker turn.The album ends with an atmospheric instrumental tinged with faint traces of female vocals in the background.

Due to the song lengths and consuming atmosphere, I don't see this album as something to have in my iPod for a trip to the gym. It is however a great album that I have enjoyed listening to. Almost cinematic in it's scope.I'll give it a 9 and strongly recommend it to fans of doom that is lush and layered with old school metal melodic qualities.