Doom Metal

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    Merkstave – Merkstave (2013)

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    Undeground Funeral Doom legends from the US Northwest finally see the ‘proper’ release of their demo materials with this monumental self-titled LP release. With three songs clocking in at a total of 44 minutes of gut-wrenching Doom, this release has that raw and analog vibe of bands like Thergothon. As the songs were originally released on tape, we are unsure if these versions are newer recordings or just re-mastered originals, but what we are sure is that they are as crushing as you can get.

    Opening with the behemoth “Lament for Lost Gods Pt.1”, the band starts on a very tranquil and slow paced stage. Their sound is very consistent to bands like Shape of Despair and such, but it differs with the usage of mournful clean vocals and some Black Metal-esque screams. “Lament for Lost Gods Pt.2” nicely continues the flow of the release with sparse guitars at the beginning, slowly leading up to some very harsh and brutal sections. The band does a great job in creating very well timed speedups that nicely contrast the passivity of the general flow of things.

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    Acacia – Tills döden skiljer oss åt (2013)

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    Just when you think you have almost heard everything under the sun, it comes a truly moving release like Acacia’s debut full-length “Tills döden skiljer oss åt”. Melancholic and depressive are adjectives that barely start to describe the mood and atmosphere of this soul (and spirit) crushing album. Formed originally under the name of Livsnekad, this Swedish outfit manages to deliver 61 minutes of truly moving music that we will do our best to try to do justice while describing.

    The solemn piano opening of “Död mans mask” really builds anticipation and once the clean vocals come on, the mood suddenly gets even darker. As “Förnimmelsens lund af längtan” opens, the riffs remind us a bit of bands like Draconian and Desire with a certain atmospheric touch of My Dying Bride. Being huge fans of Death/Doom Metal, the growls are up to par to any of the heavy hitters of the scene, a very important element to contrast the atmosphere of the music. The Black Metal influences kick in and elevate the music to a whole new level, featuring extremely contrasting brutality with a highly atmospheric content. As the song winds down, we get some nice Post-Rock/Depressive Rock final minutes that serve as a relaxing culmination to this excellent track.

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    Goatess – Goatess (2013)

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    With a hard-hitting heaviness filled debut release, today we have Goatess and their self-titled offering. Delivering waves of fuzzy guitars painting traditional Doom Metal landscapes, this band grooviness is enough to make them immediately standout from the rest. Svart Records surprises us again with a very energetic and refreshing release that will rattle your speakers for weeks to come.

    In a similar vein to bands like Sleep and other Sludgy Doom Metal outfits, Goatess opens this release with the warm and fuzzy “Know Your Animal”. Focusing on incisive riffing and strange psychedelic elements, tracks like “Alpha Omega” sound weirdly familiar but catchy enough to enjoy more than a few times, hundreds of times to be precise. With Chritus Linderson (Saint Vitus, Count Raven) on vocals, this band has all the right ingredients to satisfy the legions of demanding fans of the genre.

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    Sadgiqacea - False Prism (2013)

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    With everybody and their mothers playing Doom/Sludge Metal it is getting quite annoying to weed out the bad releases from the good ones without investing too much time in it. Luckily for us, Sadgiqacea made it very easy since the first song of their debut release “False Prism” is pretty epic and quite unique from your average band in the genre. Hailing from the USA, this two-piece delivers four crushing tracks of powerful Doom/Sludge that will greatly appeal to fans of bands like Black Cobra all the way to Neurosis.

    Opening with “False Segments”, the band pummels away with some very cool (and heavy) guitars that are above your average repetitive Doom/Sludge guitar work. The band’s knack for creative rhythms and excellent musical skills allows them to sound different while retaining the griminess of the genre. As the track nears its end, there are some very cool details that made us enjoy it even more.

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    Asofy – Percezione (2013)

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    Hailing from Italy, today we have one-man project Asofy and their latest full-length “Percezione”. With a very bleak and somewhat minimalist sound, Asofy delivers four tracks of very emotional Black/Doom Metal with some Post-Black Metal elements. The music is quite direct and very well paced, enough to enchant any Doom or Suicidal Black Metal fan, very similar to the experimental stuff of Svarti Loghin.

    On the first track, “Luminosita”, the Post-Black Metal influences nicely make this very melancholic song even more bleak and desolate. Tryfar handles all instruments and does a very good job with the guitars and bass guitar. The drums are programmed so they sound a bit fake in some points, but they are pretty decent compared to other releases. The pace of this song is quite slow and dabbles around some jazzy/doomy sections very nicely.

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    Apocynthion – Sidereus Nuncius (2013)

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    Going over tons of releases every month, we rarely get to enjoy unexpected masterpieces like Apocynthion’s “Sidereus Nuncius”. Having received the promo directly from the band, we got immediately hooked into their music after the first song and we have been constantly listening to it non-stop since then. Delivering seven tracks of majestic Post-Rock/Post Black Metal with Shoegaze and some Doom elements, the band’s sound is quite moving and powerful.

    Opening in a very dreamy note with a sample from “2001: A Space Odyssey” on top of atmospheric arrangements, the band commands attention with this hypnotic opening. “Redshift” continues with a Post-Rock vibe, similar to Godspeed Your Black Emperor and God is an Astronaut, filled with cool percussions and dreamy clean vocals. This ten-minute track slowly morphs into Post-Black Metal territories with powerful and dreamy guitars accompanied by shrieks of desperation. The band reminded us of Heretoir, Lantlos and similar outfits, but they always keep their own musical identity.

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    Enshine – Origin (2013)

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    Being huge fans of Atmospheric Death/Doom Metal, we have been following this collaboration for a while and finally we have “Origin”, Enshine’s debut full length release that is as majestic everybody expected. Featuring Jari Lindholm and Sébastien Pierre, this band delivers nine tracks of brilliant atmospheric Doom passages with powerful growls and a very melancholic vibe. Recorded in a span of two years, “Origin” is one release that will keep you entertained for quite a while.

    Opening with the lush atmospheric elements of “Stream of Light”, the band sets the tone for a very impressive release since the initial stages of this album. With a vibe similar to bands like October Tide and Forest of Shadows, Enshine focuses their energy in delivering powerful atmospheres surrounded by excellent guitar work. Not being 100% predictable, tracks like “Refraction” blend some synth-pop elements into the bands melancholic sound.

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    Shakhtyor – Shakhtyor (2013)

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    Originally released back in 2012 as an independent album, Cyclone Empire has scooped up Shakhtyor, a German outfit and their very powerful four track self-titled debut full-length. While many people are raving and loving all the new Sludge/Post-Metal releases, we have to say that sometimes they are just plain and dull and unluckily this is album belongs to this category. We understand that being repetitive and ‘crushing’ is part of the deal, but when you have 40 minutes of music revolve around 8 riffs, it is just unacceptable.

    Opening with “E. Jasper”, the band sets the mood for the whole song in the first minute and then it just drones around the same for almost nine minutes… WTF. We are aware of the need to build momentum and create a crushing wall of sound, but this band just delivers half and leaves you hanging like when the lights go out while watching porn. The most salvageable track of this release is “Handschuhmann”, a 7 minute piece that actually has some structure and nicely builds-up to a semi-climaxing stage.

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    Frozen Ocean – A Perfect Solitude (2012)

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    Hailing from Russia, today we have one-man band/project Frozen Ocean presenting his 2012 full-length release titled “A Perfect Solitude”. Handling all the instruments and drum programming, Vaarwel manages to craft a very powerful and atmospheric release that showcases his excellent songwriting skills. Featuring seven tracks and nearly 45 minutes of chilling music, this release delivers a hefty amount of bleak soundscapes that will surely keep you on the edge of your seat.

    The bleak intro “Broken Window” sets a very mysterious and moody atmosphere that is very unnerving in nature. As the raining sounds bleed into “Somewhere Clouds Debark”, the mood keeps being very eerie and ethereal. The powerful distorted guitars elevate this track while maintaining the chilling atmosphere created. The vocals are very interesting since they are quite lush and greatly enhance the atmosphere, reminding us a bit of bands like Falkenbach and Thyrfing.

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    Mother Susurrus – Maahaavaa (2013)

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    Fully recorded using analog gear, today we have Finland’s Mother Susurrus and their debut full-length release “Maahaavaa”. Combining elements from bands like Neurosis, High of Fire, and more traditional Hard and Acid Rock influences, they masterfully crafted a sound that is quite hard to pin down, but is very interesting and unique sounding. This 48 minute release contains five solid tracks that command maximum aural attention.

    True audiophiles greatly appreciate when things are recorded via analog gear, and this is very evident when you get those nice grainy effects and elements in the music that really make things pop and sound natural. The first example of said things is the crushing opener “Superposition”. Clocking in at around 10 minutes, this mammoth track shows the band’s Sludge/Doom power with some more direct Hard rock influences.

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