Mother of Graves : "the Light That Keeps Us"

 

This death doom band continues to be consistent; in fact, they might have pulled out their hookiest batch of riffs yet for this album. This says something, as their 2022 album made the top 10 Doom Albums of the Year list, putting them in the top tier when it comes to this style.  Dan Swano on the first track should tell you where they're headed, and they are not satisfied with just sounding like melodic European death metal from the 90s; the gloom of the Peaceville bands is all over the first few songs.

 The title track is the first song that really builds momentum, andd even then it's pretty melodic. Though I had to give it another listen, as the first time through it just kind of drifted by. It grew on me with another listen, though it might not be as memorable as the first couple of songs. The guitar melodies stood out and hinted an Iron Maiden influence lurking in their past. They get heavier on "Even Tide Angel". The tight chug of guitars is more aggressively locked in, and it is a more dynamic song than the title track making it more memorable.

 "The Silent Weight of the Stars" highlights what great riff-crafters they are. The growled vocals are articulated and purposeful, showing they are serious about writing songs. Granted, if you are familar with their past work, this is not a surprise, but they are keeping the quality up for sure. The guitars are really well produced; I normally like them dirtier, but this works for what they are doing. "A Moonlit Tryst" is more death-focused in its intentions, reminding me of old Opeth. The guitars chugging, lurking behind the more melodic passage, is very effective. 

They pour on the most speed in the middle. The last song is doomy and dynamic; the vocals feel a little more obligatory, but it might need to grow on me. In fact, this album sounds better with additional listens that allow it to simmer and sink in. I will give this one a 9.5. Profound Lore should be very proud of these guys and give them as much of a push as they would give their biggest sellers. Drops October 16th  

Thanks for reading. Give a listen to the song below, and  please "like" and share on social media to give music a voice 

https://www.facebook.com/abysmalhymns

Check out our Podcast here ... https://www.youtube.com/@abysmalhymns666

pst431

BESOTTEN : "Eye of the Monolithicrypt"

 

Portland keeps churning out the metal. Here is the debut album from the hipster capital. I like that it is dark, dense, and somewhat cavernous. The mix carries a more in-your-face, raw compression than the reverb of a cave, like the bands that were once called Occult Death Metal. The spewed growls carry some feindish personality to them. The main concerns once we get to the ten-minute song. The guys have a sound that works, but the problem is I could not tell where the first song ended and the second song began due to the uniform nature of what they are doing here 

We are three minutes into the econd song before it lets everything drop out to try to establish its own identity. The vocals become more bile-coated. The riff lingers behind the sparse drumming. It begins to make you feel like you are sinking into a throbbing pit of despair. The creepier melodic turn this song takes is something they need to lean into more. "Cruentation" is driven by a more crushing riff that is very deliberate until they speed things up into more of a blast beat. They want to go into the faster, more feral death metal style as they race into "Storming the Cosmic Citadel". It almsot gets too blasty for the song's own good. They did a great job of capturing the uncanny sonic scope of the genre.

The last song already has the stage set for it. I like when the desolate mood takes over and is coasted out on the flow of double bass. Chaotic guitar solos and more grooving riffs break things up a bit, but for an 11-minute song it does not feel like the course has been charted out. I can appreciate the more funeral doom vibes that begin to emerge at the midway point. The mood feels more like black metal in its unsettling ambiance than death metal in hte second half of this dirge. Heading towards the eight-minute mark, the momentum builds before things ebb back down into the more mournful procession that glides out into a melodic outro fade-out. I will give this album an 8; it puts them solidly on your radar as it's their first trip into the studio, so where they go from here should be interesting. It is being released November 6th on Transcending Obscurity. 

pst415

Death is June -FUNEBRARUM : " Beckoning the Void of Eternal Silence"

 

This is the New Jersey-based band's third album. I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to check them out, but I suppose there are only so many hours in the day, and they came in at the tail end of the death doom bandwagon. The yare dark enough for my tastes, though, which I appreciate. They build things into enough of a purposeful chug to fall on the death metal side of the equation, with the vocals in a call and response between the lower growl and a higher snarl. The guitar solos have enough flash to appease most metal fans. The second finds the mood being balanced between morose meandering and the aggression of death metal. The next minute, things accelerate into a blasting death-metal flurry. It's not as impressive as the title track, as it falls much closer to the status quo for death metal in 2026. Though it sounds good from a production standpoint and is well executed 

"Through Barren Halls of Greiving Emptiness" has a catchier riff leading into the verse, but then they speed up when things really start to kick in. The vocals drop down to a layer of growling that is just another texture. Most of the songs fall under the six-minute mark, with the 8-minute last song the exception to the rule. They slow way down into a more dismal shade for "Into Dark Domains". The atmosphere for this one is pretty cool, before they step on the gas and lay back off into hyper blasting. When they drop into the more deliberate chugs and the doom leaning spectral lumbering it seems their songwriting is at the peak of its powers, buyt the formula seems to be to speed up before you can really get lulled into their darkness. 

The tempo of "From Rotten Burial Shrouds feels like a rushed mess. There are a few cool riffs that show up toward the end, but the motto here is "cool riffs alone does not a good song make."Turning the Stones of Torment " is more focused with a taunt tension propelling the verse, even if the vocals as not as intentional, it comes together.  With songs like this, I can see why the average death metal fan would be impressed, but they are not consistent in this regard. At almsot nine minutes, the last song is the first that really sprawls out into a more massive undertaking. The bulk of it rides a double bass into the doomier resolution. Overall, I think that despite falling into the death metal tendency to rage out with speed at times, they pulled all this off very well. I will give it a 9.

pst263

Death is June - Reekmind : "Glints From The Crematorium"

I have not covered any death doom yet this month as I tend to dig into that in November for doom month, but this band from Austrailia leans more into the death metal side of the equation, so let's give them a shot. With mid-paced grinding guitars and the low growl of vocals, they are bold enough to open the album with a twenty-six-minute song, so let's see if it pays off. I am going to be a hard sell on any song over twelve minutes, and this is double the time. The first seven minutes have me convinced they could have wrapped this up in ten minutes. They think otherwise. Though I am proven right by how things break down into feedback at the eight-minute mark. This is where the next song should have begun. 

It certainly would have made sense, as the doomier chords they employ at this point have a different feel than the more death metal side they opened the album with. There is more purpose in the drive of "Cyst Monolith". The riffs and vocals have more commanding form and function rather than just oozing over the sonci landscape. The death metal aggression pumps through this without resorting to a great deal of speed, and makes the thirteen minutes go by fairly fast. The last song at eleven minutes is obviously their radio single. Speeding up to about Incantation intensity, they come from a similar place when it comes to darkness and the cavernous atmosphere summoned for this song. 

What this band does is not redefine either death metal or doom. They prove themselves capable of creating sprawling landscapes of grim sound occasionaly raided by the aggression of death metal. There are some good songs wedged between the columns of savage ambience that is more focused on creating a mood than hooking you in most of the time. However, the riffs that can do that prevail and fight their way through the murk to provide headbanging moments of respite in this subterranean wasteland. It works well enough for me to give this album an 8.5. It drops on Night Terror Records July 24th.

pst241

Malignant Aura : "Where All of Worth Comes to Wither"

 

Australian Doomsters Malignant Aura lurch into this album with the kind of dark melancholy I want from all heavy music, but expect from doom. This is the band's second album. "The Pathetic Festivals" finds them delving deeper into the death metal side of the death doom equation, with a more Morbid Angel-like feel. It features a commanding stop that emerges with a mechanical grind of the guitars. Midway into the song, they relent to the darkness, and things ebb down into a more dismal, yet spacious cavern of sound. 

The low gurgle of the vocal complements the twisting riff of "Languishing in the Perpetual Mire". When every thing breakdowns into the woeful cry of discordant atmosphere, it feels almost like free-form jazz. It is ambient in a way that halts the momentum, and places the focus in a more intangible mood. As a 13-minute song, this is eating up a chunk of time. They pulls things back together, but even then it does not feel as focused as the first two songs. It takes another two minutes before they wind back around the Morbid Angel-like riff. I like the doomy melodic riff they solo over that closes the song. 

I think doom is who they are, but the pull of Morbid Angel is strong, on "Under a Crown of Anguish." the depression wins out.     When they go doom, they go full-on funeral doom and do not mess around. There are no aspirations to be Paradise Lost. These twin guitar harmonies are one of the strongest elements of their sound. The last song finds them walloiwing in the sorrow of doom. It does build but a flow of double that acts mroe as an undercurrent than a full on aggressive assualt.I will give this oen a 9, it is certainly an abum fans of death doom need to take note of this year. Being released by Memento Mori.  

/p> pst22

November is Doom -Gloombound : "Dreaming Delusion"

Doom is not typically thought of as Norway's primary metal export, but there is some. This album starts off with an impressively ominous tone. It hits all the sonic notes you might want from this branch of despairing doom, but those get more fully flushed out by adding layers of nuanced melody on the second song. The jeyboards play a larger role as the span of atmosphere expands. There are moments of interesting dynamic whiplash when they transition from melancholic melodies layered over a morose funeral march to a more rabid death metal fury, finding a middle ground with syncopated breakdowns. The vocals are very deliberate here, which plays to their favor. 

"Luminary Dissolution" is a little more like death doom that leans more solidly into the barrage of death metal aggression with just enough atmosphere applied to not seem out of place, but not all that engaging either. The fifteen-minute title track is a more interesting blend of sorrowful sounds that are both melodic and powerfully anguished. Everything breaks down to a plodding bass line break, which would have been the opportunity to go darker, but they launched into a solo and got more predictably metal. A band like Evoken would have taken the chance to explore the mood that elevates them over these guys, who are capable but still boxed into metal conventions more often than not at this juncture in the album. Can they rise above this?

Despite being listed as bonus tracks, the last two songs on my copy are going to count for the purpose of this review. The first of them, "Pulled Toward Sepulchre Slumber". finds the keyboards rising to elevate the mood to a darker grandeur, though the more traditional death doom sounds are the heart of this one.  It follows what most of the more scathing funeral doom bands with a slight black metal influence might down, though never building to the rabid pace. "Astral Exhaltation" carries a more mournful sound. The organ sound is laid on thick, and clean vocals help add more of a mood as they chime in likea distant choir. I will give this album an 8, they are a strong band with a great deal of potential once they get the metal essentials out of their system and become more willing to step into a wider scope. 

pst568

November is Doom- Nornes : ""Thou Hast Done Nothing"

This French band blends a few varied takes on the genre, perhaps best called death-doom if this label were to allow you to land more on the side of doom. The harsher scalded throat gurgle of the vocals is the one element that keeps them in the periphery of death metal. It is creepier sounding than it is aggressive. Thi is contrasted by a melancholy sung vocal that sometimes forms a call and response with the snarled vocals. This album marks the debut for the band, and as a first effort, they seem to have a very distinct sense of who they are as a band. 

When they lean toward the death metal side of things, they do not do it conventionally. On "A Rose to the Sword' they use a tremolo-picked tension. The vocals are produced similarly as "Domination" era David Vincent, so there is a flanged sliver that creates an inhuman quality. They drop down into more melodic, almost traditional metal sections when the sung vocals are layered over this. They are very technically sound without getting caught up in it. The transition into "Our Love of Absurd" is a little awkward. When you are writing songs that sprawl out over the ten-minute mark, you think there would be enough time to write a cleaner ending. This song is doomier and finds the clean vocals leading the way on the verses. The melodic ache of the guitar is pretty effective. 

"Perceptions in Grey" in gray follows a similar path to the previous song and transitions from it before finding its own identity as more of a funereal doom song. The vocals reach up into more tortured screams for this one. They pull off more rock star guitar solos. "Oneness' closes the album with a more melodic intro and slowly trudges into melancholy from there. At the eight and a half minute mark the drummer starts getting a little crazy as things build up. I like the gloom this album kicks up and their take on death doom I will give this one a 9. It drops on Sleeping Chruch Records on November 28th,  

pst543

Paradise Lost : "Ascension"

 

The 17th album from Paradise Lost finds the progenitors of death doom shunning expectations. using the tropes from both genres, while sometimes trying to grab the goth metal throne that Type O Negative left vacant. The first song is straightforward death metal, but more deliberate than the rushed flow of double bass most bands hit you with. "Tyrant's Serenade" is more of the grandiose pagentry of morose doomy rock that lends itself to the Type O comparisons. He sings most of the song, then things become more split in equal portions when it comes to his delivery. "Salvation" is not as memorable as the first two songs. 

There a chunks of more traditional metal sections that keep cropping up, one point "Salvation" brings Judas Priest to mind. 'Silence of the Grave" is driven by this kind of triumphant chug and is one of the most effective songs so far. The solos on this album are very rock n roll. This album finds drummer Jeff Singer returning to the band. He has also played for My Dying Bride, but is going for more of a rock feel on this album. "Lay A Wreath Upon the World" is a folk metal ballad that finds them back jockeying to claim the goth metal throne. 

"Diluvium" is the first song that leans into more of a doom stomp. The vocals are bellowed with more aggression, but not a growl. Some of the more Priest-like riffs break this up. It was around "Savage Days' that things ebbed down and faded into the background, so I had to go back and give another listen. Second listen finds it coasting along. The stomp to "Sirens" reminds me of Iced Earth with its more muscular, almsot power metal style of chugging thrash, though they offer more subtle melody here. "Decievers" rocks out harder than the previous song, though  "Sirens" has a more melodic flow. 

After a couple of listens, the doomy throb driving "the Precipice" grew on me, but the vocals to "This Stark Town" are more compelling. The last song kinda rides the middle ground between goth metal and the death doom style they are known for. I will give this a 9.5 and see how it grows on me, as overall it flows better than most of their more recent work. Fans should praise this balance. Oddly enough the Peaceville sound is out on Nuclear Blast.

Thanks for reading, give a listen to the song below, and  please "like" and share on social media to give music a voice 

https://www.facebook.com/abysmalhymns

Check out our Podcast here ... https://www.youtube.com/@abysmalhymns666

pst456

INNUMERABLE FORMS : " Pain Effulgence '

This dark death doom band features members of Power Trip, Mammoth Grinder, Iron Lung, and a litany of underground metal acts. They have mastered a dark and oppressive sound, but once I am in the second song, I find myself faced with the question, Can these guys write a song. Just because they are from bands with a name, does that mean they were the songwriters for that band, or did they just show up and play their parts as required? There is no answer found in the second song, as they are trying to solidify a depressive mood. 

"Blotted Inside" finds that even after slowing down, they are a death metal band at heart. The low, heavily affected guttural nature of the vocals works at either tempo, though it feels more resonant in the more depressive drone they lock into. Melodic guitar lines flow around the steady pulse of darkness. "Dissonant Drift" is truth in advertising as the gurgle of the vocals bubbles under the atmosphere of trudge of doom. The pace is picking up into a more deliberate stomp by the end. Then they hammer back at you, going into " Ressentiment," it is punctuated by atmospheric fills of guitar, but largely moves like death metal until the guitar solo takes over. 

By "Overwhelming Subjection," things are starting to run together as the uniform sounds collide.  Guitar melodies can help to differentiate things if you are giving a close neough listen. This can be heard as 'Pain Effulgence." Everything sounds heavy and the guitar tone is as miserable as you want it to be, but it do get mired into a sound where the best moments of a band like My Dying Bride, who pulls this sort of mood off with more grace, or even a funeral band like Voken might be a fairer comparison., has more layers, these guys are just playing guitar well with little story to tell.  For that reason I am going to give this album an 8, excellent execution with not much to say, but for some fans of this genre, that is what they are looking for.Out on Porfound Lore 

pst401

Dawn of Solace : "Affliction Vortex"

Finland is the country for dramatically melancholic music. It has quite a history with it as bands like HIM, The 69 Eyes, Nightwish Wish and The Man-Eating Tree all come to mind. Though those bands all have a different take on it. The same can be said for this band, which is more on the doom side of the tracks, but coming from a more Peacville place with the mournful vocals that make me think of Katatonia and My Dying Bride. The pace picks up a little for the second song, but the vocals are rightly even the center stage of this mix, as it keeps the tension underlying musically. Growled vocals, which I was not expecting, come in, which I was not expecting, though I should have been since they are now a staple of metal. 

Then on "Into the Light" things begin to take a turn away from doom into a more Opeth-inspired melodic progressive death metal direction, though the sung vocals are the dominant force in "Rival", finding the band going in a more accessible direction. Things climax with some impressive guitar prowess, as it continues to go further in a melodic death metal direction, as the growled vocals become the primary voice when the song really begins to build. Most of this begins to lies in the hands of the drummer, who allows moods to be established and never rushes things, but is also not about doing a bleak doom march either. 

"Dream" might be the album's best song as it just flows so well. Things are getting gloomier for "Pereniel," which finds the vocals shifting into the snarl for a more explosive chorus. This is the most effective use of this dynamic yet. They end on a doomier note going into the last song. At almost six and a half minutes long, it is the album's longest song, so they get credit as songwriters for not letting things sprawl out. Double bass comes in and things flow in a more uptempo direction, but it feels like it's more of a throb rather than jerking you out of the mood with it. I will give this album a 9, and see how it grows on me, one of the better efforts at pushing this sort of melodic metal from the 90s forward. 

pst163

TETRAMORPHE IMPURE : "the Sunset of Being"

 Damien from Mortuary Drape is helming this project. If you don't know who Mortuary Drape are, then we have bigger problems than allowing you to delve into funeral doom. Do you know what funeral doom is? Think My Dying Bride, who, if you are still coming blank, this is the wrong blog for you. This opening track feels more like death doom thanks to the relentless hammering of double bass, though the guitar does allow things to breathe and create a sense of atmosphere. The vocals have a commanding growl, rather than being the kind of despair-filled gurgle that normally comes from funeral doom. Record labels are the last ones to know how to market a band and call their bands all sorts of things they think are buzz words. These guys are pretty heavy regardless of the genre and give a shit about the songs which is even better.

There is more melody to the guitar line that opens the second song. The drummer is pretty amped up to get things going in a more death metal direction, and that is where his playing sends the song. The more languid chords that would set the sorrowful doom mood are in play but not allowed to simmer for too long. What they are doing here works, but after the first song, there are fewer surprises here. "The Spirit of Gravity" is a more foreboding stomp. To the band's credit, they are not content with just pummelling you. There are some sparse sung vocals buried in things. 

The last song finds the band charging right in with death metal's hyper aggression, though once they settle into the verse, a more melancholic guitar tone comes in. The overall feel is death doom, as the double bass starts getting kicked up again midway into this song, which sprawls out at 1 minute. Though six minutes into the song, they seem to have touched on all the major themes you might expect. They end up going into a clean guitar melody that sounds like something Metallica might have played around with as an intro. I like what they are doing here, the transition into the swell of dynamics is pretty flowing, though, could they have reined this song into something more concise that was eight minutes max, yes. But over all this album is a success and they take the death doom genre away from its normal Peaceville roots into something more aggressive. I will give this album a 9, as it's a fun listen.  

 

 pst154

Invernoir : "Aimin' For Oblivion"

 

A more depressive strain of melodic death metal is not unlike Paradise Lost coming from this Roman band. The clean vocals are more vulnerable like Katatonia. There are some blazing solos handled in a more traditional metal manner. The second song is not as focused on hooking you with the melody as the first as it falls further back in the mix. If this was being played faster it would be easy to peg it as prog. The expansive post-rock parts are broken up by more ripping guitar solos. "Desperate Days' chugged by in the background, it did not really grip. 

The vocals get more interesting on "Forgotten in Time". "Broken "  benefits from the depressive pace, a mournful sound. If you are into guitar heroics these guys have you covered as they are committed to blazing out a beast of a solo that has both mood and shred in equal measure and perhaps do it best on this song. The song "Few Minutes" is in fact more than a few it's over seven of them. They start off out the gate with tasty guitar melodies.

"Unworthy" has a more 90s, as the clean vocals set up the chug of death metal-driven guitars. The clean vocals chime back in so it does break the formula. Though the chorus does not wow, it just works well enough. The last song kind of wanders a bit like a power ballad. Overall this is a solid album with familiar sounds that are well executed I will give it an 8.5 and see how it grows on me. 

pst625

Lord Sin : "Confessions"

 

I'm going to ignore the fact they are draped in black sheets for their album cover and focus on the music since that is what matters. The sophomore album from this duo opens up with a very deliberate creeping stomp that allows darkness to be the organic mood the music naturally creates rather than something they have to work at. Portugal has been pumping at decent metal and these guys are no exception. Falling in a weird middle ground between doom and black metal, they seem to care about songs so that works for me. There is a lot of sound coming from just two people. 

"The Presence" feels like Satyricon jamming with Cathedral. It indulges in more traditional metal moods. But this also shows how limited the vocals are so, it might take them out of their sweet spot slightly. "Living Sin" trods a darker road, that feels more fitting of the vocal delivery. The snarl can slither around this riff. I like that this throbs more than it chugs. The guitar parts make more sense, against the dense wall of fuzz coming at you. The more deliberate stomping shift of the guitar works well dynamically. 

"Negligent" is more like death doom in the melancholy manner it trudges on. However, I am not sure they need to drag it out for ten minutes. Granted it chugs along with a more forceful purpose. Eight and a half minutes in things ebb down a little to build into a more dramatic melody thanks to the layer of synths. "Guilt" is another tune that leans more into the doom side of what they do, which truth be told feels like who they are as a band. Less black metal than say Mortuary Drape, but they occupy similar sonic space at times. The vocals do go from spoken parts to the same kind of scowling that has dominated this album. 

"Regret" is a more sludge-driven dirge. Nothing new is introduced, it works off sounds they have already used with the slowed tempo being the main focus of the song, though the guitar melodies that crop up midway in are pretty cool. I will give this an 8.5, I like what they are doing here, though it's not something I would listen to a great deal, as the vocals could stand to be more dynamic, I know there are fans of this sort of thing that do not find them to be a sticking point so this will be a welcomed addition for fans of death doom or blackened doom. This Drops on Larvae Records

pst621

Mother of Graves : "The Periapt Of Absence

 This band's 2022 album reached the number 5 spot in our Top  10 Doom Albums for that year. So expectations are high. They continue to retain a balance of death metal grit with the mournful melodic nature of doom, perhaps this time around leaning more in the direction of doom. The second song finds them raging into a more death-metal feel. Piano parts are sprinkled about, and midway into the song, it finds more solid footing with the deliberate drumming that makes the vocalist's job easier. As far as the arrangement and production go things are more ambitious this time around, though it does tend to streamline their sound more neatly into what you expect from melodic death metal. 

This middle ground they reached does not do any favors for songs that do not use dramatic dynamic shifts, as heard on "The Scarlet Threnody" which coasts on a steady doom beat. "Apparition" is a step further in the doom direction with more melodic work. It's the best song so far, as when the pace picks up it retains a steady flow that has both drive and melody. The title track is effective as it finds enough hook and heaviness in the riffs to ground it as the harmonie parts haunt the verses. "As the Earth Fell Silent' is darker though there is more chaos to the weird trippy arrangement, which balances everything out as this song helps them escape for the more middle-of-the-road feel and embrace their darker identity. When the song builds it does so in a more sonic manner. 

They still care greatly about songwriting, which gives them a head up over most bands. There is some dynamic depth to "Upon Burdened Hands". The melodic guitar wanders in a way that is not as creative or catchy as the previous song, but it still works well enough. The last song carries a very purposeful creep to it's dreary pulse. It took a couple listens for it to grow on me. This album is great but I do not think it hits the same way as "Where the Shadows Adorn", perhaps this has more to do with the production, it's still really great so much so I will give it a 9. It drops October 18th on Profound Lore. 

pst438

Death is June - OFFICIUM TRISTE : "Hortus Venenum"

This is the 7th album by this Dutch death-doom band, and the most striking thing about the sound of the opening track is how the backdrop of synth and guitar melodies being growled over sounds like something from a horror movie soundtrack. This is later balance out by a more hopeful soaring riff things climax into. All this tells me they are more than just dialing in a Paradise Lost tribute here. More of a doomed out melancholic lethargy possesses the second song which sonically is more somber. They shift the dynamics and build up into a more death metal pace that offers a little more light at the end of their tunnel, and thematically keep things in a similar spectrum minute the more horror movie-like creepiness this time. 

While things might not sound like a horror there is a cinematic feel to the big melodic sounds of "Anna's Woe". It is done in a manner that reminds me a bit of some of the more orchestral moments from post-rock bands like Sigur Rios. The vocals are beginning to become a little one-dimensional, and one of the few things anchoring the song to the metal roots. The low growl is not especially expressive and stays in the one lower register. 

"Walk in Shadows" is more atmospheric right from the start as you are hit with lush synths. This overall sound leans more in the direction of doom. There is a spoken word section, that changes the narrative voice in a more indulgently dramatic fashion that brings My Dying Bride to mind. The feel is not heavy, but this sounds great and is well arranged, so hard to fault them for not being the heaviest thing going as this feels like it is coming from a genuine place. It drifts down the same sad river, with the guitar melodies the shifting force over that directs things. This song is less hopeful which I appreciate as the bleaker tone adds a darker mood. 

There is a more mournful mood to the dirge-leaning "Forcefield". The vocals do shift by dropping into even lower growls. Things take the most drastic turn when they speed into more of a triumphant gallop. This also marks the second time a guitar solo has blazed out of the song with a more traditional metal approach. It would not sound out of place on an Iron Maiden album. It's on the more melodic breakdown when the drummer's nuanced approach is most noticed. They begin to float in a more optimistic chord progression that is juxtaposed by lapses into a more funeral doom-type thing. The last song just kind of coasts, there are some cool guitar lines in it but at ten minutes it needs more dynamics even with the level of melodrama the atmospheric elements bring.  Taking that into consideration and how dedicated they are to it for all ten minutes I will give this album an 8.5. If you like doom more than death metal this album should work for you.6th on Transcending Obscurity Records. /div>

pst305

Death is June - Aivvass : "Spiritual Archives"

 The occult has a questionable history in metal as it is typically used for window dressing with little substance behind it. Going into this album I am skeptical as this German band is dressed up like a Temu version of Sleep Tokem. This is a collection of their two EPS, but I'll count it as an album, as that is how it's being presented to me. Musically it starts off with a more Death in June like neo-folk. Distorted guitar creeps in with a melancholy throb more than the standard commanding stomp to kick the door down that you might expect from a metal band. The vocals are a low monstrous growl that sets the band at the intersection of where doom and death metal meet. The melancholy is transmitted by the haunting melodies in the background. Sung vocals are mixed in the background and performed in a manner that creates a chanting-like ambiance. 

They return to the more Death In June sound going into the song "Baphomet". This time some vocals fall somewhere between a whisper and a moan to go along with it. In some ways, it reminds me a little of old Tiamat. They do not build it into metal like you expect and drift around in their atmospheric folk sound. They dive deeper into the malaise of depression on "Lucifer" which brings a little more light sonically, as it is not as dark as their first forays into heavier expressions, though not a hundred percent committed to being a metal band as it is equally shoegazing which I appreciate. Jesu would be a fair reference point for the direction they go here. If  I did not know who I was listening to and you just played me the instrumental track "Crucifixion", I would have thought this was Stone Roses without the vocals.

"Witchcraft" is the album's best song as it blends the polarities of what this band does most effectively. It hits you with a wall of heavy in a very syncopated pound. When the vocals return with a lower growl they are set back in the mix and bathed in reverb. The chanted vocal offers a call and response with the harsher vocal. "Cremation of  Control" finds them back in the more Death in June strum of surreal folk. They close the album with a sludgey cover of Pentagram's "the Ghoul" . There are both sung and snarled vocals. The guitar is more fuzzed out than Pentagram's original. I will give this album a 9, it is solid and like what they are going for here, would blend the folk with the metal more, but for what they have done here it is still impressive.

 

pst271

Death is June - Void Witch : "Horripilating Presence"

 Perhaps they took notes on what I did not like about their previous album, as this Texas-based death-doom outfit, has all the sound dialed in where they need them to do. There is still a strong Morbid Angel influence haunting the sound. The second is more Morbid Angel-like in how the groove lumbers. It's impressive how the sounds have been more refined and the vocals have more purpose this time around. While "Malevolent Demiurge" is pretty much what you expect from Death Metal, with little in the way of surprises aside from taking on a doomier tone, and the guitars getting much more melodic. 

If you have to pick one of the Peaceville forerunners to say the sound of this album most closely aligns with, it would be My Dying Bride, though their more death metal moments and none of the gothy gloom. Not that this is a happy album, it is pretty dark. "Supernova of Brain and Bone" is where the album leans more into the doom side of the equation. This works well as it allows them to lean into their newfound sense of melody, as the guitars cry out in mourning. They creep into eerie new places with "Ten-Thousand Eyed Stalactite". There is a flurry of double bass waltzing in and out of the angular syncopation. The vocals are beginning to get a little old, but they are way better than last time. T

The title track closes the album. It is more winding and dynamic, with melodic interludes of guitar that break up the blasting accents. This is clearly songwriting and not just cultivating a sound. This is a nice touch of darkness that helps to win me over. These guys are stepping up their game in a big way, so I will give this album a 9.If you want moody death metal this one will be worth the wait when it drops on Everlasting Spew July 26th.  

 

pst267

Göden : "Vale of the Fallen"

 

Stephan Flam of Winter fame is back with a doomy industrial project that features Vas Kallas from Hanzel Und Gretyl. It took me listening to this album through headphones before I realized this was a woman snarling at me. The overall sound pounds in a manner not unlike Author & Punisher, though more organic in that this is not made by machines of their own creation. This is the project's second album and they have things dialed in where they want them here.  The first time we hear what sounds to me like a guitar is on "Urania". The song moves at a similar stomp to the one heard in the previous song. 

At times what is happening here reminds me of Samael. The darker and more deliberate crunch of " Black Vorte" highlights this fact. It grinds safely with already claimed as its sound. The synths are very effective at using the atmosphere to create the intent. "Death Magnus" is another weighty trudging over your eardrums. It does find its own groove. In some ways, this is sonically similar to Godflesh. A minute into "Zero" it feels like they are just droning on the one riff. 

"Manifestation IX" is more of an interlude than a song. "Requiem" is an ambient instrumental where the violin takes the spotlight. They close the album with "Majestic Symphony" which works off a burly bass line. The vocals take on more of a sing-song chant. I will give this an 8.5, it's not the most original thing I have heard, but it does occupy a space I appreciate.Drops May 17th on Svart Records. 

pst200

Funeral Leech : "the Illusion of Time"

 

"the Illusion of Time is a huge improvement over this band's first album, which I reviewed here. The main area of improvement is they have managed to add ample amounts of atmosphere without foregoing any of the heaviness. They continue deeper into doom on the second song. The low guttural vocals begin to give thins a more uniform sound, so listening for what they are going to do to compensate for this fact. They bring things up into more of a gallop and it proves to be an effective choice. 

There is a touch more death metal-like aggression to "Penance".  It took a second pass through the album before this song really clicked for me, and I paid attention to some of the more nuanced melodies hidden within it. The more mournful doom sections really sing their sorrows well. "Chronofixion" is as finely tuned in the intricacies of its atmosphere and just rolls in like a tank to demolish with all the grace one might think of death metal possessing under normal circumstances. 

They give into heavy going into the last song which is more doom-oriented, though focuses on primarily the more crushing aspects of the genre. Most of the ambiance here is used as an outro at the end, where it could have been more effective as a counterpoint to the weight trudge of the guitars. At the beginning of this review, I stated that this album was a huge improvement over their first. That is true, on the band's first album I gave a 7, and on this one, I am giving an 8. There is still room to grow, but this is a more balanced presentation that shows what they are capable of It is being released on April 5th on Carbonized Records. >

pst113

HAMFERÐ : "Men Guðs Hond Er Sterk"

 

The third album from the Faroe Islanders continues the tradition of dark and brutal, though melodic singing also cuts through the bleakness. Perhaps my memory fails me on these guys but I do not remember the sung vocals being belted out so powerfully last time. This leads them more in the doom direction for sure. They captured a tremendous guitar sound for this album. Even on my computer speakers, it's crushing. However, the second song sounds a lot like the first with only a few nuances like the solo section to set itself apart. It is not a deal breaker for the time being, but if they go to the well with this formula too many times it will dry up fast.,

"Marrusorg' does break things up, in almost an Opeth-like manner. You can not fault them for switching it up, and there is a darker undercurrent even to the more power ballad-like portion of the song. Midway into the song the melodies begin to speak to me more. This ballad feel continues on into the next song though this brings a more Kamelot vibe, just without the symphonies. They are assembling some powerful sound but by the time we get five songs in, nothing is really grabbing me and hooking me in. I appreciate what they are doing as musicians more than I am what they are doing as songwriters. It builds up into more of a black metal part, but I would prefer more dissonance. 

They ebb back into a moodier place which works better on "Fendreygar".  The transitions on this one are a little predictable. But well done for what is going down here. After this things thankfully begin to go in a heavier doomier direction. The low guttural growls return and make a case for the fact that just because you can sing like you are in Candlemass, does not always mean you should. The last track is more of an instrumental outro than a song. Not what I was expecting but still a dark solid listen I will give this an 8.5. Metal Blade drops it in March.

pst82