Hooded Menace : " Darkness Drips Forth"

2015 won't go down as the year that doom broke big. The doom releases have been sparse. These Finnish Doom merchants come on strong.  This very deathly brand of doom finds their riffs weeping in blood . Speaking of weep most bands would bore you to tears to with a twelve minute opener , but here they keep you in the moment . The tempo picks up from time to time, but doesn't lose the grasp of darkness by going into a stoner rock boogie. There is a really weird break down with the guitar tone changing at the eight minute mark, but the song maintains its momentum. "Elysium of Dripping Death" is a morbid ten minute dirge. The vocals are a low gurgle and the guitars maintain just enough chug to keep you confused as to if this is funereal doom or not. Double bass keeps the song from getting mired down in its own mire of misery. The guitar melodies also add more of  sense of motion while things slowly gather steam. Much like Pallbearer the riffs take on an angular edge. There is some dazzling guitar work that erupts from all the rumble around the seven minute mark here.

There is more technicality to the intro of "Ashen With Solemn Decay" than you might expect from a doom band.Five minutes it I am beginning to zone out to the drone out until the guitar solo comes back in a wakes me up. They end the album with a heavier roar on "Beyond Deserted Flesh". It carries more death metal in it's low tuned chug than the other songs on this album. The guitars are well layered and the song gives the album a much needed punch after zoning me out on the previous song. Five and half minutes in it really builds up after an odd angular break. This touches on almost classic metal as it digs into a timeless gallop. I think metal heads of every ilk would find something to bang their heads to on the last song.

Overall  this album is solid. The long winded songs generally do not drag and keep your attention. These guys have established themselves along side like likes of Evoken and Pallbearer with this one as they have gone above and beyond by putting a great deal of thought into these songs and are not just  satisfied with being heavy, they have accomplished that and a lot more I'll give this album a 9.