Doom Metal

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Candlemass - Death Magic Doom (2009)

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    While I’ve never been a big fan of this band, I have to admit the legendary status they achieved by influencing many doom metal bands. “Death Magic Doom” is clearly one of their finest releases, musically speaking. One big improvement over the past albums, and the reason I did not liked their music was their old vocalists, Messiah Marcolin, was just annoying. And Robert Lowe has better versatility and his vocals go better with the music. Since they kicked out Messiah from the band in 2006, I’ve started liking their releases.

    This album features the typical Epic Doom metal style that the band excels at, but at some points it even sounds like ‘slow’ heavy metal!!, and Robert Lowe’s vocal range is perfect for this. The production of the album is stellar since you can listen to the album several times and still discover new things within the music.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Cantata Sangui - On Rituals And Correspondence in Constructed Realities (2009)

    This is one of the most interesting bands I’ve found recently, apparently they have been around for a while releasing several demos in a span of several years, and just now released their debut album through Seasons Of Mist.

    This band hails from Finland and features members from Enochian Crescent, and their musical style is very unique I must say, they mix death/black and gothic metal in a very weird way.
    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Sculptor - Temny Oktyabr (2009)

    This release from a Russian one-man band is what I would call: a terrible one. I’m a big fan of doom metal, but when it’s done right here the music is uneventful and boring, not slow and depressing.

    The vocals are just plain bad since when he tries to whisper it sounds pretty bad the same for the clean voice and the growls.

    The only thing I can say positive about this album is that it’s not that badly recorded.
    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Diathra - My Endless Sorrow (2009)

    My Endless Sorrow is the second album from this band from Belarus, and in my opinion is a very strong second release. This band is clearly influenced by earlier work from Theatre Of Tragedy and Tristania among others.

    Diathra’s musical style is by no means original but it’s executed perfectly. While there are some “Beauty and the Beast” type of vocals in a few songs, the rest of the album mainly features the talents of Shiyka Dmitriy, their female vocalists.
    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    My Dying Bride - The Lies I Sire (2009)

    I have to say that this is one of the albums I have been waiting to hear in 2009. And while their 2006 album A Line Of Deathless Kings was not one of my favorites it still was a pretty solid release, but left me a bit disappointed, not as bad as 34.788% complete, but still not their best.

    Anyways going back to 2009, this release has been hyped by the press and their interviews as a mixture of their earlier sound with their newer sound, plus with the return of violin as well.  I have to admit that this statement is 100% accurate, while it’s not like their early 90’s music, it does mix the best aspects of all the releases that MDB has put out.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Luna Obscura - Feltia (2008)

    I have been looking for a great gothic/doom release for the whole year of 2008 and I was never able to find one. Just a few weeks ago I discovered Luna Obscura, and since the album was released in 2008 I have to say that I did found the release I was looking for during that year.

    After finding bands like this I have to wonder if the world is ever going to run out of bands that play this <insert-any-genre> at it’s best, and my answer has always been: NO, I keep finding bands that blow me away.
    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Isole - Silent Ruins (2009)

    This Swedish band was known as Forlon until 2005 when they switched names and apparently their luck changed since they released their first full length under this name in 2005. While I’m not a big fan of epic doom metal, this release packs 54 minutes of pretty solid music. Sometimes it reminds me of Solstice or even Candlemass, yes the band is this good, and this release better than their 2008 effort.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Ablaze In Hatred - The Quietude Plains (2009)

    Finland is clearly taking over the world of metal with some great quality bands in many different genres and Ablaze In Hatred is one of them. This band plays a brilliant doom metal that is full of melancholy through out the whole album.

    I’ve been following this bands evolution since their 2005 demo, and they have not disappointed me in any of their releases. The Quietude Plains marks their maturity in making music by creating an album that has no flaws in any aspect of it. From beginning to end I can’t stop listening to it or even desiring that the current song playing is over.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    My Life's Despair - Love, Sorrow, and Suicide (2009)

    I will call this release a demo since it contains only 3 songs and it’s freely available on their myspace page. This is an American one man band that while not having the best production behind their demo, it clearly makes an impact.

    My Life’s Despair has their music style well defined to be a mixture of early My Dying Bride, Crematory and The Sins of Thy Beloved. And this release is a great stepping stone into hopefully a full length album with better production.

    • Posted By: Dark Emperor
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    Mournful Congregation - The June Frost (2009)

    This Australian band always lures me into their depressive atmosphere as soon as I started listening to their albums, and The June Frost is no exception. Released 4 years after their last full length album, it was well worth the wait.

    The album consists of 4 super tracks that take you into the depths of depression and don’t let go. At least one of the track always tries to break the Guiness world record of the longest song ever composed and here they clock one at 17 minutes, which is a tradition of funeral doom bands as well.

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