November is Doom- Mansion : "Second Death"

 

This Finnish band is doing doom in the most unique manner I have heard this month. The opening track is a minimalist folk song that sounds like a hymn a cult would sing as their mantra. When things get doomy it is not until the second song. Though varied, the cult choir is still a thing, and the song lurches along in a very creepy manner. The tangible darkness of the music is heavier than the distortion of the guitars of the volume. This song breaks down to more of that cult choir then builds up with a great deal of sonic power.  At times it reminds me of Low, but much heavier and darker. 

Where male vocals are a low gothy croon, the female vocals owe more to the Cranes, as they are high and fragile, with an impish sense of naughtiness to them. She is capable of bending her voice around a wide range of emotional expressions. This sometimes means the songs ebb into more of a haunting folk. These are kept airy and sparse in instrumentation. Bands like Swans and Cocteau Twins come to mind when it comes to how they weave the ether into their sound. This is a huge compliment since those are also two of my favorite bands.. The way this ambiance is stretched out into the pastoral landscapes feels more post-rock at times. If Johnny Cash and Le Zeppelin jammed it might sound like "Heathen Hole". The more driving percussive instruments that join in create the album's fullest sound yet. 

It is hard to label what happens going into "In the Court of the Sorrowless" It can only be described as dark, so perhaps goth is fitting. . Out of nowhere, it churns into a more rocking riff. This displays one of the band's strengths is never taking the easy what and doing the unexpected. The title track is more of a dirge and should silence anyone questioning if this is doom. It goes from dripping variations of slow and pours atmosphere over it. "You Are Suspicious" kinda lingers into a drone with repetitive vocals and riffing that do not change until what might be the chorus around the three-minute mark. It simmers down back into cult choir.  I will give this album a 9.5, and will see how it grows on me, I think they tap into cool dark places that few go in a new way. There is a neo-folk feel that blends with their brand of doom which is pretty unique.