October Tide - The Cancer Pledge (2023)

Since leaving Katatonia in 2009, the Norrman brothers reactivated their melodic Death/Doom Metal outfit October Tide and have been releasing killer albums since then. On “The Cancer Pledge”, the band unleashes over 45 minutes of crafty melodic music with a hefty dose of heaviness. The band’s sound is quite timeless, as they have continued to add minor tweaks and refined it over the years.

Opening with the moody “Peaceful, Quiet, Safe”, we get the band’s signature guitar riffing from the start. Perfectly weaving in some harsher passages alongside doomy guitar leads, the band’s sound gives that old-school Melo-Death vibe, as “Tapestry of our End”, “Unprecedented Aggression”, and “Blodfattig” demonstrate. Particularly this last track unleashes vicious guitar leads alongside monstrous drumming and interesting tempo changes after its first half.

There are obviously some darker and more moody pieces like our favorite “I Know Why I’m Cold” and the closer “Breathe The Water”. These songs show the band’s Doomier side, Alexander Högbom harsh snarls have been the perfect fit for the band’s melancholic sound and continue to impress in this release. As a whole, “The Cancer Pledge” is a well polished, incisive release with plenty of crafty headbanging moments, perfectly mixing aggression with melancholy. We wouldn’t expect anything less from October Tide.

Label: Agonia Records

Release: October 6th, 2023

Genre: Melodic Death/Doom Metal

Country: Sweden