Carma : "Ossadas"

Meeting at the more atmospheric crossroads of where funeral doom and black metal meet, this band from Portugal falls into a sonic sweet spot for me. While I love this sound, it does not keep me from listening for how are they when it comes to writing actual songs.They do not shun melody, and use sung almost chanted vocal arrangements to offset the traditional low growls, so that plays to their favor in this regard. the slower doom passages can drag in a few places but generally glide along the murky water of the genre well, when they are quick to add more atmospheric elements to layer against this. I was more impressed by the first song, but appreciate how they allow the arrangement of the second song to progress, and where it soars off to. 

I don't feel the instrumental interludes scattered about the album really do a great deal to add value, and some of these sounds should have just been added into the intros. "Paz" has some epic guitar harmonies, but it does not bring anything new to the table sonically.  The low growls occupy the needed space, but do not contribute much else on this one. However you can check  off all the boxes in terms of what you expect from this genre. "Destino" feels more somber. The sung vocals return. In typing that it brings up an interesting aspect of metal that we have to distinguish vocals as being sung. This genre might be selling itself short in this regard. Instead and this does not just go for these guys , but is more of a role they are complicit in, bands play it safe to stay within the confines of expectations. As some one who consumes 300 or more new metal releases every year it is beginning to wear thin and i want bands to do what I do not expect. The best albums I have heard this year are bands doing that. 

Clean guitars surface on the second half of the album. they continue to milk the sorrowful sound. They just do it more dynamically on "Monumento" which is the album's best song. They even accomplish this using harsh vocals, which I am not opposed to if the instrumentation is balancing things out. they just hit a sweet spot and proved themselves to be more capable song writers as everything falls into place just right. The last songs finds them in more of a Mournful Congregation like place. The problem here being that I already own all the Mournful Congregation albums. I will however give this album an 8.5, as they are good at what they do and made the album they wanted to make, they even show signs of greatness here that perhaps they will grow into that. 

5.4