Mournful Congregation : "Concrescence of Sophia"

Easing the wait until they release the follow up to their classic "the Book of Kings"  the Australian doom lords  have released a two song ep that still clocks in at 30 minutes.  They don't try to fix what's not broken in their brand of melancholy funeral doom, in fact they march on and drone less.

The hefty title track is 21 minutes.The gloomy hesitation they hit each note with is intact, as are the floating guitar melodies that cry out into the gray sky.The vocals retain the trademark gurgle. I think the main difference is the guitar harmonies are more polished and sound more regal and metal than the sonic element that coated the "Book of Kings", sometimes they even take a soloish kinda of flair.The actual guitar solo doesn't kick in until the 12 minute mark.  At the six minute mark it breaks down into an acoustic interlude, with some breath taking guitar work. The tone on the chops these guys have are both under rated.

For another three minutes they ebb and flow , back and forth between acoustic guitar passages and the doom chords ringing out, not unlike the approach Agalloch took on their newest, though both might be inspired by Evoken here. The tide of double bass that flows in underneath the guitar that picks up the pace in the ten minute mark is effective and holds the bar high along side the rest of the bands material.

In comparison the 9 minute "Silence of the Passed " is like a pop ballad. The guitars do most of the talking for the band at the song's onset. They did for lower notes, until a grave is ready for the more whispered growl of the vocals to rise from. The guitars build into a bitter sweet soaring. The song comes crashing down into a quieter moment that build into the crawling chug they are known for.The gurgling rasps reaches out further from it's growl. So this one does it's job and whets the hunger for the full length I am hoping they release before the end of the year, but early 2015 seems to be much more likely at this juncture.