Doom Metal

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    Mournful Congregation – The Incubus of Karma (2018)

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    Unleashing one of the most misery inducing releases of all time, today we have Mournful Congregation and their latest opus “The Incubus of Karma”. Seven years have passed since the band’s last release and all that anticipation is instantly erased with the level of grandeur the band reaches with their sound in this release. Featuring six tracks and nearly 80 minutes of music, this release is by far one of the most soul crushing albums of 2018.

    The band sets a very bleak mood with the weeping guitars of the opener, “The Indwelling Ascent”. Once you think the big and crushing riffs are coming, the changes gears a bit and introduce a sad and solemn piece in “The Incubus of Karma”, which greatly contributes to the highly emotional vibe and sets a very somber tone. The gargantuan riffs finally arrive with the demoralizing “Whispering Spiritscapes”, a 15-minute piece that instantly feels like a foot down your chest.

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    Messa – Feast for Water (2018)

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    Unleashing one of the Doomiest and most intoxicating release of 2018, today we have Italy’s Messa and their sophomore full-length release “Feast for Water”. Featuring around 50 minutes of highly mysterious and intricately crafted music, the band perfectly combines Doom and Sludgy undertones with enchanting female vocals and oppressive atmospheric elements. If you are a fan of Jex Thoth, Jess and the Ancient Ones, Bohren Und Der Club Of Gore, and similar bands with very apocalyptic vibes, this is certainly an album for you.

    After opening with the mood setting Ambient/Drone-ish “Naunet”, the band instantly makes a splash with “Snakeskin Drape” and its incisive riffs. Sara’s sultry voice instantly captures the listener’s attention thanks to its commanding presence and how it shines through the very moody music. Her unique vocals can be said to be a certain mixture of Jex Thoth, Jess from Jess and the Ancient Ones and Farida Lemouchi from The Devil’s Blood, creating a fierce presence that magically brings songs to life like jazzy “Leah” and the funky “The Seer”.

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    Twilight’s Embrace – Penance (2018)

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    Hailing from the UK, today we have Melodic Death/Doom Metal outfit Twilight’s Embrace and their self-released EP “Penance”. Unleashing four highly melancholic tracks, this release features that old-school Death/Doom sound that fans of bands like My Dying Bride, October Tide and November’s Doom will completely love and enjoy. In a short but sweet time, the band will certainly win you over with their crafty song writing and engaging music.

    Opening with “Dying Earth”, the band sets a very moody atmosphere with weeping guitar leads and catchy riffs. The song structure is quite traditional for the genre, but it quickly hooks you into head banging alongside the music. Changing up the pace, “Curtain Call” delivers more waves of melancholy as the growls perfectly complement the tempo of the track. We particularly enjoy the certain retro vibe and bleak atmosphere crafted around this track.

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    Abysmal Grief – Blasphema Secta (2018)

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    Unleashing a truly decadent and terrifying release, today we have Italy’s Abysmal Grief and their very unique amalgamation of Dark/Doom Metal with eerie atmospherics and Avant-garde elements. Clocking in at around 45 minutes of pure decadence, “Blasphema Secta” is a very unique release has a certain retro and raw vibe that will haunt your dreams.

    Setting up the mood with the creepy atmospheric intro, the band eases into the madness of “Behold the Corpse Revived”. This track has a certain The Vision Bleak meets Dark Lunacy vibe with hits lush instrumentation and very determined and chilling pace. Things get a bit wacky with the harrowing “Maleficence” and its eerie catchiness. This track sets a very playful mood with some Gothic/Punk-ish elements thrown into the mix.

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    Slow – V – Oceans (2018)

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    Originally released on 2017, “V – Oceans” is too much of an album to not have on vinyl, so Code666 is handling this task. Slow is a one-man project which hails from Belgium and it crafts some of the most devastating and bleak Atmospheric/Funeral Doom Metal we have ever heard. Featuring five songs, this is definitely a release you need to take in with full attention and on a dark and gloomy day.

    The album starts with a very slow and mournful progression in “Aurore”. The riffing is slow and painful, allowing for the atmospheric elements to shine and lead way to the crushing growls. The band’s mastermind, Déhà, has tons of musical experience and by participating in outfits like Clouds. In Slow, he takes things even further, unleashing songs that are over 10 minutes long and perfectly paced for bleakness, just like the dreamy “Ténèbres”.

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    The Howling Void – The Darkness at the Edge of Dawn (2017)

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    Brilliantly mixing all kinds of Doom Metal subgenres together with outside elements from Black Metal and even Pagan Metal, today we have one-man outfit The Howling Void and their sixth full-length release “The Darkness at the Edge of Dawn”. Feeling part like an homage to bands like My Dying Bride, Katatonia, Shape of Despair, Tenhi, etc., this band crafts a very cohesive and melancholic style that is perfect for any fan of the genre, and produce five enchanting tracks in this release.

    Opening with the mysterious “Distant Shores”, we get a very cool interplay between clean and distorted guitars and the atmospheric synths. The clean vocal passages remind us a bit Empyrium, however the track is more on the heavier Doom Metal side of things with even some riffs bordering in BM-territories. The mood picks up a bit with the more intense “A Seed on Stone”, a track that features very powerful drumming and it even feels at some points like Pagan Metal.

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    Tongues – Hreilia (2017)

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    Having a great eye for aurally abusive releases, I, Voidhanger Records, unleashes this December, the debut release of experimental Death/Doom/Black outfit Tongues. With “Hreilia”, the band delivers seven highly disturbing, chaotic and yet very enjoyable tracks that are quite bizarre in nature. Mixing elements from Death/Doom/Black Metal genres into a very unique amalgamation of styles, this release transports the listener to a hellish universe since the first track.

    Opening with the funky weirdness of “Perennial Waves”, the listener gets to warm up to a very dissonant and yet enthralling mournful opening that suddenly explodes into full-on madness. We particularly enjoy the sickening vocals and the very raw vibe transmitted. The madness takes a more traditional Black Metal shape with the punishing “Theophagous Wounds of Earth”, and its killer bass guitar line. This is certainly one of the most brutal tracks in this release with a relentless drum track and incisive riffs.

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    Odradek Room – A Man of Silt (2017)

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    With a keen eye for unique and boundary pushing release, today we have the latest Hypnotic Dirge Records release with Odradek Room’s sophomore album “A Man of Silt”. Unleashing over 50 minutes of superbly crafted Progressive Death/Doom Metal, this band merges influences from bands like Anathema and Opeth with lush instrumentations and a very somber mood. If you like complex music with high replay value, this is certainly one of the best releases in 2017 for that.

    The intro “Arising in the Void” provides a very dark and somber opening into the band’s unique musical voyage adorned with an Armenian duduk. The release continues to blossom with the transition into heavy guitars and growls in “Selfness”, a 7-minute piece that sets the experimental proggy tone for this album. Hailing from Ukraine, the band crafts very unique songs filled with highly atmospheric passages that are quite intricate and yet lush and filled with emotion, as delivered in “Texture of Reality”.

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    Gloam – Death is the Beginning (2017)

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    Hailing from the USA, today we have Gloam and their sickening latest EP titled “Death is the Beginning”. Unleashing three powerful tracks of raw and relentless Black/Doom Metal, the band crafts a very powerful and effective sound that is quite ravaging and violent. Sounding like a ‘slower’ version of Watain (kind of like Weapon), this EP is certainly a great way to get acquainted with the crushing sound.

    The band sets the mood with the very sinister intro track, “Anguish”, setting a very melodic and engaging backdrop while not revealing too much of what is to come. Unleashing their fury, “…OF a Carrion Kind” rips this release wide open with punishing riffs and tight drumming. The band’s sound is instantly fully immersive and quite engaging. We enjoy how they blend their harsher elements like the vocals, with the more melodic musical core and end up creating a very relentless aural experience.

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    Hanging Garden – I am Become (2017)

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    Just in time for the Fall and Winter seasons, today we have the Hanging Garden’s very dark and atmospheric “I am Become”. These Finnish Melodic Death/Doomsters unleash 46 minutes of catchy and crafty music that is quite diverse in nature. Filled with brilliant melodic Death/Doom Metal elements, this album perfectly blends the band’s old-school sound with their more modern and atmospheric influences.

    Kicking off with “As Above, So Below”, we get a certain Insomnium guitar driven vibe that invites the listener to head bang while listening and settle into a dark and melodic vibe. Things go into a Swallow the Sun vibe with the aggressive riffing of “Hearthfire”, a track which features guest vocals from Tomi Joutsen from Amorphis fame. Interestingly enough, the band’s more Atmospheric Rock side comes out in the excellent “Elysium”, a piece that is quite melancholic and moody.

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