Sure they are crushing and droning and the vocals are mean as fuck, but how are their songs? Well I can keep going back to this album for repeat listens so that is a good sign. This Swedish band employs chanted vocals that are often layered into the dry leather lunged rasped growls are effective in building upon the band's hypnotic leaning. It seems chanted vocals are becoming more of a thing these days, I wonder what is up with that ? T he opening hymn "Ascending" is a rumbling doom paced affair. The second songs just rolls out of the opener, the vocals a low baritone chant coming close to being actually sung as the band develops more groove as the pace picks up. Though most bands these days are beginning to adopt black metal elements, these guys are content to trudge somewhere between doom and sludge.
Their drummer is currently handling drum duties for Katatonia. This is much less melodic and more pounding than Katatonia, he has also played for Project Hate so he is all over the place. He is sticking to one slow and deliberate style of playing , by the time I am at "Bow Down" I was unaware that I was already at the third song.They touch on more run of the mill doom, though it is a tad burlier and launches into bursts of sludge on 'Eat the Sun" . The vocals grow more melodic and the harsher growls are not the only method of vocalization these guys rely upon. The title track sounds like a variation of the previous song, though a heavier harsher and slower take ."Heavy Death" the song, kinda of drones on and it ends up taking us into the closing song before you realize this isn't the same song which is one of the albums pit falls.
I like the sounds they capture, the album sounds great it's dense and organic , though I
am split on how some of the songs run together as it means they slowly begin to sound the same- I'll give it an 8 and hold my breath as to how it grows on me. This comes out March 6th on Svart Records.
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