Deathkings – All that is Beautiful (2016)

Delivering brilliant waves of Doom/Sludge/Post-Metal misery, today we have Deathkings and their sophomore release “All that is Beautiful”. Clocking in at 62 minutes, this four song release is both punishing and extremely melancholic. We are quite surprised that the band is unsigned due to the quality of their material and how the North American scene is eating up bands that play this style of music.

Opening with the bleakness of “Sol Invictus”, the band slowly builds up from some spacious Post-Metal momentum-building passages (a la Neurosis) to more hectic Doom/Sludge inspired riffing onslaughts. The pairing of the combination of multiple styles of vocals with the brilliant atmosphere crafted by the roaring guitars fits perfectly with the intricate drum patterns and overall pace of the music. Reminding us of bands like Fall of Empyrean and Mournful Congregation, “The Storm” delivers a very precise Doom message with some solid Post-Metal influences, making it one of our favorite tracks in this release.

With punishing riffs and an excruciating pace, “The Road to Awe” feels more traditional and a perfect track at this point in the album to soothe listeners into a Doom with a side of Sludge coma. Closing the release with the bleakest track titled “Dakhma”, the band saved their monumental 19-minute behemoth to send off the listeners. This track perfectly summarizes the album with some depressive atmospheric passages contrasted by brutal onslaughts of aggression, perfectly blending in harmony.

Overall, “All that is Beautiful” is one hell of a release filled with brilliant melancholic moments and some quite aggressive passages as well. If you like bands like My Dying Bride, Mournful Congregation and Mourning Beloveth as well as Post-Metal staples like The Ocean and Neurosis, you are in for a treat with this excellent release.

Label: Unsigned

Release: March 8th, 2016

Genre: Doom/Sludge/Post-Metal

Country: USA