Doom Metal

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    Deep River Acolytes – From the Voids of Chaos (2015)

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    Arriving from Finland, today we have Deep River Acolytes and their superb debut EP titled “From the Voids of Chaos”. Featuring three songs clocking in at around 20 minutes, this release showcases the skills of a promising young band. Highly recommended for people that like Sludgy Doom/Heavy Metal releases, this album will get you going on a dark and cloudy day thanks to its upbeat and playful nature.

    Opening with the incisive riffs of “Misleaders”, the catchy twangy vibe is quickly evident, even before the vocals come into play. Having established a certain vibe, the band never lets go and continues to deliver catchy sections and very well crafted tempo changes that keep things fresh and enjoyable. We particularly enjoy the psychedelic rock keyboards that are used, giving the band one extra dimension.

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    Monolithe – Epsilon Aurigae (2015)

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    Hailing from France, today we have Doomsters Monolithe and their fifth full-length release “Epsilon Aurigae”. Delivering over 45 minutes of atmospheric Doom Metal spread over three tracks, the band crafts a very interesting atmosphere that while being Doomy, it feels a bit different than normal. Changing a few things up allows the band to craft a unique sounding release that will surely catch the attention of fans of the genre.

    Opening with “Synoecist”, the band delivers a very straightforward and powerful 15 minute song. The riffing is quite typical and engaging while pairing perfectly with the vocals and overall atmosphere. While this track is very traditional, the tempo of it seems a bit different than what you would expect, being not as slow as other Doom bands. The second song “TMA-0” instantly brings down the mood with a gloomy combination of eerie keyboards and very sludgy riffs. The distortion seems to be a bit less oppressive than in typical Doom releases, making the music come out less dark and more upbeat (but not too much).

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    Wreckmeister Harmonies – Night of Your Ascension (2015)

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    Featuring over 30 musicians ranging from members of Yakuza to The Body, Wreckmester Harmonies is the brainchild of J.R. Robinson. Mixing elements of Drone, Doom, Post-Metal, and ambient into one very dense wall of sound, the collective creates haunting music that goes beyond just making crushing and punishing tracks. In this release we are presented with two monumental tracks that combined clock in around 48 minutes of sheer darkness and emotion.

    Leading the charge we have the opening 32-minute behemoth “Night of Your Ascension” which starts in a very ethereal way. The bone-chilling female angelic voices slowly lead into compelling string instrument arrangements just before it all turns completely somber with some punishing Doom riffs. This transition is handled in a very masterful way, as the tension is slowly rising. The heavier side of this track is filled with punishing riffs and some hellish screams that create a sense of urgency due to their aggressive nature.

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    Hanging Garden – Blackout Whiteout (2015)

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    Constantly evolving over the years, Hanging Garden returns with a very atmospheric release titled “Blackout Whiteout”. Featuring nice tracks of pure melancholy, the band manages to combine elements from Theatre of Tragedy (“Aegis” era), Anathema (their transition period), Katatonia (their more recent stuff) and throw in some Cure/ShamRain elements just for kicks. This release still keeps the growls in the mix, allowing the album to be harsh and brutal when needed, but it is mostly very melancholic and mellow.

    Opening with the enticing “Borrowed Eyes”, we are instantly swept by Toni Toivonen’s moody clean and harsh vocals. This track also pulls you in with its subtle bass guitar line and keyboards. The band is always in motion and the very Cure-like rocking anthem “Whiteout” further shows their evolution since the band’s harsh and bleak Death/Doom days from “Inherit the Eden”. However, the depressive atmosphere is still present in a very unique and refined way.

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    Sabbath Assembly – Sabbath Assembly (2015)

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    As one of the most awaited releases from 2015 (at least for us), today we have Sabbath Assembly and their eponymous fourth release. Moving away from the Process Church theme and influences, the band delivers nine tracks that feature a very distinctive sound that they are now calling 100% their own. For fans of their older style, this will need an expectation adjustment, but the band nicely delivers an unique (but different) experience.

    Opening with the angry “Risen From Below”, the band has a very nightmarish style rooted on trippy percussions and the deep vocals of Jamie Myers. The band’s catchiness and ability to create a dark atmosphere is still present in tracks like “Confessing a Murder” and “Ave Satanas”, but they spice it up with a heavy bass guitar line and solid guitar leads.

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    Skepticism – Ordeal (2015)

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    Pioneering Funeral Doom Metal band Skepticism finally returns with their fifth full-length release “Ordeal”. Hailing from Finland, this band alongside Thergothon are tipped to be the founders of the genre and they have releases some monumental albums over the years to keep their legend intact. With “Ordeal”, the band continues to mercilessly punish people with their melancholic sound filled with long drawn out riffs, piercing atmospheric elements, and crushing growls, for nearly 80 minutes of music.

    The album immediately gets under your skin with the demoralizing “You” and its subtle atmospheric keyboards. Never wasting a moment to create the perfect atmosphere, “Momentary” has a retro Funeral Doom vibe from the late 90’s when the genre was in full swing. In terms of dramatic, “The Departure” features some of the most haunting keyboards we have heard in quite a while as they are perfectly flanked by Matti Tilaeus soul crushing growls.

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    Kröwnn – Magmafröst (2015)

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    Finally getting a proper physical release, today we have Italy’s Kröwnn and their debut riff parade titled “Magmafröst”. With over 45 minutes of music, this release features very Sludgy/Doomy music that will keep any fan of the genre hypnotized for the whole time. In a similar configuration to Ides of Gemini, this band features two female members (bass guitar and drums) and a male vocalist/guitarist, making this very compact lineup pack a lot of punch in terms of music.

    After the typical filler intro, the band dives into some crushing Doom riffs with “Skeksis Dance”. This track instantly shows the band’s commitment to the power of the riff. The vocals are bit on whiny side, at least for us, but very fitting for such a release. The band continues to pummel through songs like “Wyvernking” and “Wölfhunt”, both of which have a certain Sludge/Stoner vibe to them.

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    Luna – On the Other Side of Life (2015)

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    Unleashing over 50 minutes of crushing Symphonic/Atmospheric Funeral Doom Metal, today we have Luna and their latest opus “On the Other Side of Life”. Hailing from Ukraine, this one man show delivers waves of brilliant atmospheric passages filled with crushing Doom riffs and proficient tempo changes.

    The first part of this release comes under the 21-minute long “Grey Heaven Fall”, a highly atmospheric piece that nicely sets the mood. While there are not vocals in this release, the heavy riffs and powerful ambiance makes you forget about this and allow you to enjoy the release without even noticing.

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    Secrets of the Sky – Pathway (2015)

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    Instantly showing that their debut “To Sail Black Waters” was no fluke, Bay Area’s outfit Secrets of the Sky delivers an even more mature and expertly crafted sophomore release with “Pathway”. Finding their home in Metal Blade Records, the band fully explores their musical capabilities with the 13 tracks presented in this very unique and different sounding release.

    Opening with the relaxing sound of waves on the ‘instrumental’ “I”, this swiftly transforms into the band first real onslaught titled “Three Swords”. Expertly manipulating the atmosphere of their music, this opener sets a very mellow mood that fully explodes as the band rips through some thunderous Doom riffs between peaceful interludes. Placing nice tempo-shifting interludes between the tracks, Secrets of the Sky perfectly manipulates and guides the listener’s experience.

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    Ereb Altor – Nattramn (2015)

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    Featuring Crister Olsson and Daniel Bryntse of Isole, Ereb Altor delivers a Viking infused Epic Doom Metal that is very distinctive and enjoyable in nature. As the band’s fifth full-length release, “Nattram” shows great maturity for the band and clearly showcases the well-polished chops this group of musicians has developed over the years.

    After a warm-up instrumental, the band brings forth their best Epic Doom Metal skills with the intoxicating “Midsommarblot”. Just imagine Tyr-meets-Candlemass and this is something similar to what you will get with this highly atmospheric and melodic piece. In terms of headbanging, “Nattramn” is the perfect piece to do this with its crushing harsh vocals and killer drumming. We greatly enjoy that the band moves from a heavy song into a more melodic and Epic one in a nearly seamless fashion as we can see with the transition to another epic anthem titled “The Dance of Elves”.

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