Mare Infinitum - Cryosleep (2022)

Hailing from Russia, today we have Atmospheric Death/Doom outfit Mare Infinitum with an engaging release titled “Cryosleep”. Showing further evolution in the band’s sound, this album adds some bombastic Symphonic Metal elements to the band’s powerful Doom core. Evoking thoughts from Therion to Epica to Funeral and Swallow the Sun. For over 46 minutes the band dazzles listeners with a high octane release.

The release starts with the highly theatrical and Therion-esque piece “Your Final Bow”, a song with very dramatic choir arrangements and excellent clean male vocals. This track sets a very imposing and lush backdrop, which serves quite well for the traditional deep growls and weeping Doomy guitars the band lays down. With an even more dramatic edge, “The Flight Of No Return” is a fragile piece that nicely shakes things up with crafty tempo changes and excellent guitar leads.

As the cornerstone of this release, “Event Horizon” drops some heavy feels with commanding riffs, dreamy atmospherics, and a 12-minute playtime that allows everything to naturally develop in a slow but punishing manner. The slow burning album title track mysteriously unravels in a very minimalistic manner at first, as it comes to a very lush and engaging climax. Closing with yet another curve ball, “Celestial Escapist” has a nice Dark/Coldwave edge to it mixed in with the Symphonic Metal side of the band, creating a very unique and engaging closing piece.

Overall, “Croysleep” is not your average release as it spans many different styles showcasing a very versatile and engaging band. Mare Infinitum has always gotten our attention over the years, but with this album they further add complexity and fresh layers to their Doomy music, so any fan of the genre that is not afraid of shaking things up must listen to this release.

Label: Solitude Productions

Release: December 16th, 2022

Genre: Symphonic/Atmospheric Death/Doom Metal

Country: Russia