In a word: absolutely.

When this trilogy first commenced back in 2025, and I covered A Dark Poem Part I: the Shores of Melancholia, I had no idea of the direction that these guys would go (and why would I? I’m just along for the journey). The follow-up to that album was an even more brooding dip into the psychological depths of grief and loss. A Dark Poem Part II: Sanguis had a much doomier and more solemn tone to its six tracks. “Loneliness Untold, Loneliness Unfold” being my favorite track off that, while it was “The Slave that you Are” from Part I that captured my attention the most.

But now I sit here with the brand-spanking-new stuff. The coup de grace if I may be so bold. The whole thing is magnificent, from the artwork to the stellar production; I feel almost sad that it’s ending.

So how is A Dark Poem Part III: the Messiah Complex compared to its predecessors? It builds up on subtle keys; the drums come in, and the bass walks right on up and starts rolling along. “Unconditional Artificial Chemistry” gets under your skin with that catchy, Arcturus-ish-sounding title, and the song itself lives somewhere between Opeth’s Black Water Park and Arcturus’ Sham Mirrors. It moves with its own powerful currents, ripping at your heartstrings as it goes on its way.

“The Messiah Complex” is next, the crushing title track with the epic lyric “It’s a sign”, King Herod replied “A massacre’s needed in order to withhold the throne. Oh, my Bethlehem, I will reign in blood until my enemies are slain”. This is the heaviest song on A Dark Poem Part III: The Messiah Complex, fitting the overall resonating theme of overcoming the depths of human suffering and the resolution to continue after all is said and done.

This is a Prog album, first and foremost. Yes, it has it’s heaviness that compliment a Metal aspect, but for as much as there is a hint of say, Opeth. There’s also a King Crimson-esque quality that is unmistakable; “Common Enemies” is quite possibly the best song in the whole trilogy. It is dynamic and breathtaking; the way Green Carnation put the song together is masterful in it’s scope. The solo will give you chills down to your soul.

But there is a trick up the sleeve of A Dark Poem Part III: Theitssiah Complex, and that is the final track “A Dark Poem – Orchestral Suite”. This is sixteen minutes of command performance. It moves like currents within it’s own tide. A spellbinding movement that captivates and caresses your mind.

The band brought in guest performer Ingrid Oitsn flute for “Broken Souls, Common Enemies” and the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra and Opera Choir on “A Dark Poem – Orchestral Suite”. If I were to rank the trilogy in order of best to least, then it would run Part III, Part I, and then Part II. This is the most fun I have had reviewing a trilogy. Maybe Green Carnation could be talked into a box set of the whole thing. Maybe?

At any rate, this album needs to be in your collection. Listen to it on its own or as part of the overall architecture of the three combined albums. For fans of Opeth, King Crimson and Mozart. Submit yourself to the sorrow, get it now.

“Invocation of the Dreamer” opens the album and was the first single released. The song gets right into a nice thrash gallop with amazing vocals and guitar solos. The guitar harmonies and riffs from Ben and Phil are as exceptional as ever. We even have some dual-layering of vocals, and Zach still punishes the drums as if his life depended on it. After the thrashing, the tune settles into the doomier elements with some mystical moments too. This song goes perfectly with the somber album cover. A knight who has seemingly acquired riches, however, is melancholic due to probably how such riches were obtained. The song is helped out with a monster production to boot.

“Corpsebloom Garden” is also an aggressive number, with some polyrhythmic time changes and a doom-laden atmosphere with terrific soaring vocals early on. Very catchy, and the pitch is pretty good. I mean, the vocals do have reverb and EQ on them, but they do not go out of key. That is tough with these types of singers. I hear a lot of singers who are good, but not in key. The dual vocals of Ben and Phil continue to make Khemmis stand out from the pack in this genre of metal. Around the 2.10 mark, the ever-present gruff death metal vocals come in, which have been present across their releases, and add the extra oomph. Around the 3.25 mark, there are some guitar melodies taking us back to Helloween’s Keeper of the Seven Keys albums. Most excellent, and the guitar solos continue to get more creative on each album.

“Gilded Chambers” kicks things into thrashtastic fashion. Excellent opening drums and then right into the thrash. The song slows down for those soaring and epic vocals to resonate with the listener. Excellent vocal harmonies and intricate and melodic guitar work move the song along, as the doom metal takes over. The chorus and vocal tones will stay in your head, as well as the death metal vocals, midway through the song. They capture the emotion of the song, and after that moment, a most excellent guitar solo takes hold. Slow atmospherics permeate through the dense fog with acoustic moments and soft drum patterns. This section carries an Egyptian tone until the metal returns and the song ends soon thereafter.

“Benediction Tones” ends the album in an amazing, doom-like fashion. Heavy, brooding, emotive – the song takes no prisoners if you are listening to this on a depressing day. The vocal tones deliver huge on this track and are even more bombastic in the delivery. There are some spoken-type vocal parts in the middle of the song, all between the harmonizing. The song gets slower and quieter until trailing off, ending the album.

This self-titled Khemmis album is a monstrous metal album. They carry the torch of metal loud and proud. The production is top and the music is once again brilliantly delivered. They are leaving other bands in the dust, who are usually lumped into this genre. First is Visigoth. A most excellent band, but they have not released anything in seven years. Then, Eternal Champion with their Friend of War recent EP– quite honestly, that is a mess of sorts of an EP running over thirty minutes. One of the songs is an eighteen-minute-long ambient instrumental, and the title track is over thirteen minutes, which honestly goes nowhere – stinks cause their album owns.

Regardless of those bands, Khemmis are at the top of the pack and are one of the leaders of this style of metal. I would love for a bigger band to take them out on tour. Khemmis needs to be seen and heard on a bigger stage. What a great album and band.

Last year’s A Dark Poem Part 1: The Shores of Melancholia was, in itself, an emotional roller-coaster, and on A Dark Poem Part 2: Sanguis, they take that somber pace and crank the depression to eleven.

From the get-go, we’re dropped into a relationship that’s falling or has already fallen apart. Anger and emotional distress take hold with “Sanguis (Blood Ties)” and the music perfectly matches. Punching the sky with some killer Hammond organ cranked out of its comfort zone. The opening lyrics “A house not a home, a heart made of stone… I survived you” fucking hell, that’s quite a statement, and it sets the tone quickly and succinctly. This is not a happy album.

A Dark Poem Part 2: Sanguis is a shorter album than Part 1. Clocking in at 37:14, it’s about ten minutes shorter. That’s not a bad thing, I’m just mentioning it in passing. I do think that the shorter run time lets the album stay focused and more to the point. So there’s that.

“Loneliness Untold, Loneliness Unfold” is depressing as fuck. Like, I’ve been in some shitty relationships, but the one happening within the barriers of A Dark Poem Part 2: Sanguis is imploding like the Titan submarine. The music is slow-burning and malicious, the lyrics drip with vitriol and resentment. A heartbreaking track if there ever was one.

“Sweet to the Point of Bitter” has an Arcturus vibe to it, interspersed with some epic Enslaved harmonies. The slow build at the 4:16 mark takes the song in a whole different direction; it takes on a life of its own. There’s not much in the way of blasting on this release like the last album. These are more restrained, more precise, and, dare I say, more brutal in terms of message.

“I am Time” gets up to some Enslaved-style melodies; it’s uplifting and gets the job done. “Fire in Ice” literally almost brought me to tears, and I’m not even ashamed about it. This is such a somber yet forceful attack. The music touches the soul in ways that few albums are able to hold a candle to. It’s a revelation of life after unbearable trauma. The worst break-up in musical history is played out with this killer track.

“Lunar Tale” is such a beautiful song. It’s a track about closures and regrets. The music is like a warm, comforting blanket. Unless some band puts out an album with nothing but people crying, it might be as impactful as A Dark Poem Part 2: Sanguis. Around 4:00 minutes in, the harmonies take your breath away.

Sporting a glorious production that makes you feel like you’re in the studio with the band, Green Carnation has achieved a masterpiece in the world of Metal, an incredibly emotional album that stays with you even after it has ended.

At the end of the day, Green Carnation has fully surpassed their previous albums in every way, shape, and form. This review has taken longer to write than I expected. Although I love this album, it’s so emotionally heavy-handed that it brought back memories for me that weren’t pleasant to think about. This is a DEPRESSING album. But maybe that’s what they were intending all along, and if so, they have most definitely succeeded because A Dark Poem Part 2: Sanguis is probably the most depressing album I’ve heard in a long time. Like, even DSBM is more uplifting than this… It’s where Green Carnation excel, though, and that’s why you need this album. We live in an apathetic society these days, maybe music such as this will remind us that we all share the same place when it comes to matters of the heart.

So yeah, this album sticks with you. I can still hear those riffs in my head while I sit here writing this. I’m not even sure of a ‘for fans of’ section because this is in a league of its own as far as I’m concerned. It doesn’t sound like anything I’ve heard before (at least that I can remember). My advice is that you go out and get this album post haste. Long live love!

Living somewhere between Black Sabbath’s more upbeat tracks (“Children of the Grave”, “Paranoid”, and “Children of the Grave”) plus a small bit of Candlemass sprinkled with a dash of Confessor (remember them?) Distorted Reflection is carving itself a sizeable niche in the world of Doom Metal.

Track numero uno starts off with some haunting synths before “3000 A.D.” grabs you with a spiked gloved hand and then pounds the life out of you with methodical riffing and thunderous drums. This isn’t a Funeral Doom album (fortunately) so there aren’t any moments where they let the China cymbal ring out and get too out of hand. Things jog along quite well with no slogging down. This is an early contender for Doom album of the year, but I don’t want to be premature either.

“My Second Father” has a bit of a bouncing, Power Metal feeling to it and it’s mostly from the main riff that strides into the fray. Maybe it’s just me… oh, and the guitar solos are rabid as fuck, just throwing it out there. Things keep going with the upbeat “Gates of Paranoia”, and this is another mid-paced crusher sporting some killer double bass courtesy of Thomas Zen, it lurches forward and runs into the sort of Middle Eastern melodies in “Love on Earth” with yet another barn burning solo.

“Asphyxiating” has that vibe that made bands like Trouble, St. Vitus, and even Pentagram (to a certain degree) so popular and skyrocketed their respective careers. Then there’s my favorite track on the whole album. “Certain Death” comes raging, yes, I said that, this bastard is a scorcher. Almost Death Doom territory by fucking God! “Diminished”, meanwhile, has the blast radius of a slowly falling nuclear bomb. It’s soooo slow and methodical, the chorus is also suitably epic, as should be expected.

“Tower of Dreams” kicks off with this crazy-cool riff, and then there’s Kostas’ vocals on the chorus soaring over everything like a fucking eagle. “Forecourt to Death” is a 47-second Fates Warning-ish instrumental that is followed by the formidable “The Final Attempt”… this one is HEAVY. It’s tracks like this that got me in love with Doom to begin with. “Morbid Reality” is the final bludgeoning you’ll receive from Doom Zone, and it’s a track that could have been on Celtic Frost’s Into the Pandemonium; a sort of experimental track, either way it’s a fun as fuck song indeed.

The production is suitably tuned to be soul-crushing and the guitar tone is savage as Conan’s axe. The whole thing has got a bottom end so fat that it’s sexy.

Heed my words when I say if you’re looking for something different from within the Doomsphere (it’s a word… not really). For you bell-bottom wearers that love the sounds of Trouble, Pentagram, High on Fire, and Tribunal. Get this because Doom Rules Eternally!

Occasionally, I need a break from deathcore and symphonic black metal, and a couple of doom and doom-ish releases have my ear; Last Light Fades from Aussies, Graves For Gods, Galvanist’s The Silence Between Stars from last year, and this hefty little release.

This album resides a little more in the sludge/stoner realm, with its down-tuned, groovy, smoky hues, but also features some more death-metal-ish vocals, which appeal to me. It should also appeal to fans who like Crowbar, and to these ears, the 2010’s Finnish act Lurk. I also feel like some of these riffs could have been on the later, pre-reunion Gorefest (Soul Survivor, Chapter 13) albums.

The deeper, gravelly vocals of Philipp Seiler keep things heavy, as does the earthy guitar tone, which delivers a nice blend of pure doom/sludge (“Valley of Nowhere”, “Full Circle”, “Between Earth and Moon”, “Axis Mundi”) or smoky, hazy lopes (“Burning Out”, “Sea of Drowned Souls”, “Swans”).

With that, it stays away from the more traditional/epic doom (there are just a couple of very small clean vocal segments) or more psychedelic sides of stoner doom, and feels a little more like death metal on barbiturates, chilling on the couch with a bong and a bag of Doritos.

Axis Mundi has been an album I’ve been giving a surprising amount of listening time, especially on weekends, with headphones and a…. little medicinal assistance. I suggest you do the same and give it a go.

Their influence? The Peaville doom trinity: My Dying Bride, Paradise Lost, and Anathema– of course, classic/versions of all three. Moody, but melodic, death metal-based emotive doom metal with layers of solos and leads, delivering crushing, loping throes of sadness along with deep, growled vocals and pained howls.

The 5 song, 40-minute affair tells the story of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire from its birth up to modern times, and delivers all the tropes and influences from the above bands’ early discography, sans any clean vocals.

The dual guitar work of Matt Spencer and Jak Shadows is clearly an ode to Andrew Craighan (My Dying Bride), Daniel Cavanagh (Anathema), and Greg Mackintosh (Paradise Lost), with moments that imbue As The Flower Withers, Serenades, and Draconian Times massively.

Just listen to the gorgeous strains of the second track, “The Dark Age,” or the crumbling plod of standout “Covered in Blood,” and it will take you back to the early/mid 90s instantly. Even a short, wondrous acoustic/ whispered number, “Unholy Ghost” recalls Anathema’s more delicate introspective moments.

The title track ends the album with the same influence, but maybe leans a little into the Peaceville trinity’s mid/later era hues with a more dreamy/goth rock lurch and less crumbling death/doom prose, but still no clean croons (though there’s some semi-howled clean screams and some whispers). But it doesn’t stop the album from being an excellent journey down memory lane to a style and era that was truly influential.

Author and Punisher are unbelievably heavy, and their approach to this heaviness is metered out not with blast beats, but with a big fucking cannon of riffs and earthshaking bass and drums. I’m not actually sure how it all translates into the often-peaceful hobby of birdwatching. Tristan Shone, the main guy behind the chaos, has taken the songs of the birds and set it to a soundtrack of brutal, sonic violence. How the fuck did he do it? No clue, but when you’re pumping out music this merciless, does it really matter how he did it? Like, seriously, folks.

The first track starts off with some quaint birdsong and light, clean vocals over some brooding guitars, and the backbreaking “Meadowlark” grabs you by the booboo and then shakes you like a deranged kid with their favorite toy. It doesn’t rely on blitzkrieg speed to do this either. Such is its power.

“Titanis” starts off with some killer drum patterns that are clearly played by an alien (not really) but the track does feature Indonesian artist Kuntari and is one of my favorite tracks on Nocturnal Birding. “Mute Swan” is anything but, don’t let the title fool you, because even though it starts off nice and mellow, it explodes mid-track and rides this wave of destruction. Friends and neighbors, this might be the most violent release this year.

“Black Storm Petrel” bursts out with an electrical storm of distortion that sounds like a robot being tortured. It moves forward like a Neanderthal with knuckle-dragging determination. Sunn 0))) will blush with how fucking heavy this one song is, a crescendo of brutality that you feel rather than hear. The same goes for “Titmouse” which starts with a savage riff that gives way to a mid-paced brutalizer. Author and Punisher are out to hurt you, disfigure your eardrums, and turn your brain into a bubbling mass of goo. “Titmice” is the haunting second half of “Titmouse” and it’s more of a Death Metal track, the closest to one off of Nocturnal Birding.

The production on Nocturnal Birding is stellar. This album is like a rebirth of sorts; in 2024 Tristan Shone celebrated 20 years since their inception. I envision a montage with dusting off equipment and studio preparation; it probably didn’t happen like that, but whatever.

“Rook” and “Thrush” are the final two, and goddamn, they’re just earthshakingly heavy. This album has to be the most violent ode to birdwatching that I’ve ever heard. I know that for certain, and there are moments on this album where I just sat and let my head bob with the rhythm.

Bottom line is that Nocturnal Birding is the perfect soundtrack for the downfall of civilization. It’s a powerful album that commands your attention from start to finish. People who worship Godflesh, the mighty Sun 0))) and Throbbing Gristle, Skinny Puppy… you’ll be happy as a bird in a bush. Get this motherfucker now.

So here is album number 17, and much like the last few albums, Medusa, Obsidian, and The Plague Within, and as mentioned above, the band has locked into a sound that blends their doom/death sound and their more gothic rock sound into a perfectly balanced sound that fans of the band’s entire discography will love.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit, when they came out, I was never a fan of the band’s gothic, mopey sound of albums like Draconian Times, One Second, Symbol of Life, or Paradise Lost.  However, as I have matured, I’ve come to appreciate them a little more ( I still contend the band peaked with Gothic). And especially, as the band blends those elements into the heavier sound of earlier releases, including the lauded return of death growls on The Plague Within, which are still, thankfully, in place.

What stands out, though, is that the band, with a largely original lineup, is still utter masters of their craft, and somehow, 30-plus years later, they have crafted arguably one of the best album of their career.

Starting with “Serpent on the Cross”, there’s a death howl right out of the gate and a crunchy, sturdy but somber riff that reminds you these guys can still do heavy. But then standout “Tyrant’s Serenade” mopes out of the gate with a crumbling, grooving, morose riff that only Greg Mackintosh can write/play, but has a hefty back end and Nick Holmes perfectly rendered somber croons and growls (why doesn’t he sound this good on Bloodbath albums? Side note: Hey, Bloodbath– just use Jorgen Sandstrom already).

“Salvation” had a plooding, brooding majesty that reminded me of the excellent “Beneath Broken Earth” from The Plague Within, or even My Dying Bride‘s The Angel and the Dark River album. But then the album gets a little more into the band’s goth rock phase with “Silence Like the Grave”, where Holmes channels his inner James Hetfield, and even the riffs could have come from an early Metallica album. And to be honest, I never recall Paradise Lost having a Metallica influence, but it is very strong in this track, as well as later on in the choppy “Diluvium” and “Sirens”, ironically, the album’s 2 weakest tracks

The album then leans harder into the band’s more commercial era with “Lay Your Wreath Upon The World”, a masterclass in moody, brooding Goth rock, with exclusively clean vocals from Holmes and even some subtle female background vocals before the aforementioned “Diluvium” and “Sirens”. Sandwiched between them is “Savage Days”, which drips with 28 Days Later/John Murphy taughtness.

The album’s last duo of “Deceivers” and “The Precipice” swing back into more of a mix of dreary goth rock and sterner doom metal, with “The Precipice” being one of the album’s strongest cuts, if not one of the band’s best, most depressive cuts of the last few years. It puts an end note on a killer album that shows these guys, along with bands like Amorphis and My Dying Bride, after multiple style shifts, are just killing it in their third acts, 30+ years into their careers.

Good or bad, this is no departure from the previous (or a Pale Haunt Departure if I may). For me, it’s great. As I previously mentioned, Novembers Doom is one of my favorite bands. I will admit the first single, the title track, “Major Arcana,” does employ some vocal stylings I haven’t heard much before, particularly in the chorus with Paul Kuhr showing off his higher register in his screaming, which also balance his deep, soulful croons. Other than that, it’s a heavy riff, along with Paul’s unmistakable, yet well enunciated and distinguishable growls.

I supposed it’s no mistake to place another single, “Ravenous” directly after the title track. Ya gotta hook ‘em early. A long, deep growl begins it with an almost bright main riff. Paul uses his intelligible, deep growls throughout. This is about as close to the “death” part of their death/doom as there’s not a clean vocal to be found. The production is clean, so unfortunately, it’s not death metal of the dirty, nasty, trench warfare death metal, which will disappoint some.

It’s about time I dig into one of the cuts, “XXII,” that you will not have heard before the release. It’s the closer on Major Arcana and is certainly a summary of the work the band put in during the previous tracks. It is certainly much shorter than the average song length as that usually barrels past the six-minute mark. The verses are growled, the chorus is clean, and those higher pitched screams return in the chorus. The final two minutes bring forth some singing, which is also in a higher register than usual for Novembers Doom, a solo, and of course, a final chorus.

After finishing the album, I certainly have some trivial complaints or issues. Firstly, it’s 51 minutes and consists of nine tracks. That’s not bad, but most of the songs do follow the same formula of growled verses and clean choruses. Every song is excellent, but maybe taking off one wouldn’t have been such a bad idea. The production, if it hadn’t been clear, is also clean and bright. Sometimes I just want my doom to sound kind of dirty and nasty. Aside from those few notes, I am not exactly disappointed, but I did want more experimentation. However, Novembers Doom knows the style at which they excel, and they prove it again here. Overall, I can’t see any unhappiness with any of the current fanbase, and perhaps Major Arcana will garner new ones. I don’t buy as much music as I used to, but the special edition bundle of this one will be in my collection.

As I was listening to A Dark Poem Part I: The Shores of Melancholia, I started to wonder why I never listened to Green Carnation before… this album is amazing. I don’t want to be premature (I mean, the year is almost over, yeah, no shit) but this might be AOTY material. I can feel confident in saying that; now anyway. That may change over the course of the rest of the year. But for now… this is the shit.

Keeping in mind that I listened to this record on continuous repeat, the songs washed over me like a rain storm lashing a verdant forest into a frenzy. Opening with the power of Black fucking Sabbath is “As Silence Took You” the lyrics carry significant emotion, and at the mid-track point, this fat assed riff just comes stomping in like it owns the place, with the rising keys behind it all… Jesus fucking Christ, this is how you open an album.

But that’s not it, that’s only seven minutes and eleven seconds of this 42:43-minute-long epic. There’s the huge Amorphis vibe throughout “In Your Paradise” and it’s just a jaw-dropping Nordic rock anthem; big and beautiful like a massive troll swinging trees at random shit.

So much great production went into A Dark Poem Part I: The Shores of Melancholia. Recorded at DUB Studios in Norway, this is epic in every sense of the word. “Me My Enemy” starts off deceptively mellow, sort of Opeth-ish, but then the chorus kicks in and it’s hitting you right in the feels. This is awesome. Pure bloody awesomeness.

“The Slave That You Are” is by far my favorite track on this crazy beast. It features Grutle Kjellson (Enslaved) on guest vocals, and it rips headlong into the blasting right away. Slowing down briefly before it erupts again into a flurry of blasts.

“The Shores of Melancholia” is another epic, ships on the horizon of a churning sea type of song. Soaring, triumphant; reaching the blackest heavens and beyond. It’s followed by the closing track “Too Close to the Flame” has this troll-sized chorus that makes me think of Einherjer and Enslaved, I fucking swear, Season of Mist is a label on fire lately, pumping out some killer releases this year.

It ends, and then you hit play again or just have it on repeat like this guy. A Dark Poem Part I: The Shores of Melancholia is a wonderful album experience. I highly recommend this for you lovers of Enslaved, Einherjer, and early Ulver (think Bergtatt and Nattens madrigal – Aatte hymne til ulven I manden era). A magical album of Norwegian power. So what are you waiting for? Go get it!

So I’m willing to forgive the fellas for all of those words they just kinda threw together here. Like, sure, it is a complete and, with a little patience, coherent statement, but it kinda reminds me of corporate lingo in the way that it uses so many additional and unnecessary words just to say “Waking Nightmares.” That’s it! That’s all they had to say. When I go to drop a deuce, I don’t say I’m “Ejecting the Spent Remains of Otherwise Masticated and Digested Foreign Substance.” I took a shit.

Anyway, you’re not here for the autism you wanna know if this album is good or not. Right.

At this point, it might be fair to assume Katatonia certainly doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone, but the recent bombshell departure of Anders Nystrom suddenly sees the band, Jonas Renske especially, under a new and unexpected microscope. I also did opine that 2023’s Sky Void of Stars was one of the best and most complete efforts the band had put together in quite some time – certainly not far removed from the darker, more goth-leaning sort of melodic rock/metal this era of Katatonia has settled into as of late, but a much more focused and memorable version of it for sure.

The first thing you’ll probably notice with NAEOTWS is that, perhaps not actually that shockingly, the departure of Nystrom seems fairly negligible. Certainly, this is owed in large to the prevailing notion that Renske has pretty much been the captain at the helm of Katatonia for a bit now. All the hallmarks are here – the startling and off-putting sudden start to the album on opener “Thrice” which, once again, somehow caught me off guard and ill-prepared for the band to get right down to business. It is however, another in a long-running streak of killer album openers, and showcases the band’s more progressive leanings in stellar order, with clever, evolving riff work from new guitarists Nico Elgstrand and Sebastian Svalland. Granted, it’s fair to wonder how much input either had into the riffs or songwriting but, either way, the signature Katatonia tone and timing is all instantly recognizable. You could remove Renske’s vocals from the track altogether and there’s still be no question who recorded it.

A big part of that “Katatonia sound” at this point is also unquestionably the drumming of Daniel Moilanen, now having been with the band for nearly a decade and having established a style all his own that goes such a long way to setting the tone of each record he’s been a part of. His ability to carry the pace on tracks like “Wind of No Change,” “Lilac” and “Warden” where good stretches are left to him to carry the load is impressive and necessary to the entire picture Renske is painting. I point out these three in particular as they are real standouts on the album, the first having such an immense presence with chanted backup vocals and sturdy, heavy riffing that all come together to feel like I’ve stumbled into some kind of cult ritual where, I have a sneaking suspicion they’ll be “borrowing” some of my blood. “Warden” features one of the album’s catchiest choruses that will find appeal with metalheads and goths alike, (once again) brilliantly bridging the gap between the two in a way it seems only Katatonia is this capable of.

And really, for better or worse (depending on your perspective) that whole “this is obviously Katatonia” vibe is prevalent through the entire album. The guitars, using whatever effect it is they’re using on on “The Light Which I Bleed,” are unique and obvious to this band alone. The pacing of the album, the tone and ebbs and flows, I can’t really say any of it is unpredictable. For me, this is not a complaint. Much like my love for bands like Amorphis and Children of Bodom and Mors Principium Est, you’re likely never going to catch me complaining about getting more of a sound I love. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a band finding their lane, especially if it’s so unique to them, and sticking with it so long as they’re still keeping the songs engaging – and Katatonia certainly have done that again here on (insert ridiculous name here).

So if you’re wondering what life after Nystrom sounds like for Katatonia, the truth is, it sounds a whole heck of a lot like it has for getting on the past couple decades. If it wasn’t clear before, this is now Jonas Renske’s ship to steer. For those of us who’ve been on board, the seas are steady and clear. If you’ve been looking for a reason to jump ship, grab a life jacket and take a nose dive, I guess. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

My stupid ass thought they are a Black Metal band interested in WW2. Nope. Tribunal are five happy Canadian souls who play a blackend style of Funeral Doom that goes heavy as fuck on the orchestral level.

This being their second album, they’re still relatively new on the scene; forming in 2019 and releasing debut full-length The Weight of Remembrance in 2023. So at least I’m not so late to the party that I’m reviewing a balls deep, 20 album legacy.

In Penitence and Ruin takes me back to when I first heard Cathedral and their blistering Forest of Equilibrium album. It’s bone crushingly heavy and has a bit of everything going for it. There’s some Black Metal, a ton of Doom, and even some Death Metal peppered in for added flavor.

First track “Incarnadine” pumps out the My Dying Bride and Cathedral vibes right away with a crushing 7:13 lesson in modern Doom. It starts out with some killer My Dying Bride riffs and gorgeous clean vocal lines and they crank up the harsh vocals for a few bars. It’s scratching my Doom itch in the perfect spot. These people can sing! Soren Mourne and Etienne Flinn have serious vocal chops and it’s their delivery that makes this album come alive.

In Penitence and Ruin is a thick album in terms of production. The guitars have a Gothic tinge to them, and it gives off the feeling that Candlemass and the early Doom bands had, the cello making me think of “I am the Bloody Earth” by My Dying Bride. Tribunal combines crushing, slowly burning tempos with Melodic Death Metal and even Black Metal ambience.

“Can retribution heal the wounds that time can’t touch?” The opening lyric that gives way to “A Wound Unhealing” is delivered mournfully. Suitably orchestral, the track plows forward with some Black Metal rasped vocals. Its unrelenting delivery is such that it makes the darkness move around it. “Angel of Mercy” continues in this vein thoroughly. The ending riffs are so killer that it merges with “The Sword of the Slain”; a mid-paced brutalizer and attention grabber from note number one.

There’s the solemn instrumental “Ruin” and it slides into “The Penitent”. Another track that makes me think of Ghost Warfare and their haunting delivery. These songs are so beautifully put together that there’s a feeling of real sorrow.

“Armoured in Shadow” is an immense, uplifting track. Cavernous, like it’s being performed in an empty, burned-out cathedral.  “ …And the Thorn-Choked Flowers Grow” hits the My Dying Bride elements once again and explores the depths of Doom Metal by being as slow burning as possible. The cello standing out in the solo section.

“Between the Sea and Stars” closes out In Penitence and Ruin with staggering Therion feels. There’s magnificent melody contained within the music of Tribunal. It pulses with a black heart with ichor for blood.

That’s why I love this album. Admittedly you need to be in the right mood. I wasn’t, so maybe I didn’t absorb the full impact, it’s whatever though. In Penitence and Ruin is still a crushing Doom album. It’ll make fans of Cathedral, My Dying Bride, Candlemass and Theatre of Tragedy giddy. A must have for the discerning Doom fan!

The band plays a very heavy stoner doom/ psychedelic metal and with album number three – Kryptonomicon we get a killer Lovecraftian album cover and the music..well let’s get to that.  This new album is 10 minutes shorter than the previous release, however the quality is brimming with heaviness and talent.  There are fewer songs, but if there would have been as many as the last album this would have been most likely over an hour’s worth of material.

“Beyond the Horizon” gets things off to a start with a jumpy 70’s flair with all the original band members returning.  Eivind Standal Moen – Bass, Eirik Arntsen – Drums, Vocals, Vegard Strand       – Guitars, Vocals, and Odd Erlend Mikkelsen – Guitars, Vocals are here to slay us.  With 75% of the band singing, many tones and vocals add to the various layers.  The jumpiness gives way to a slower more atmospheric pacing then picks up with some wild guitar soloing and 70’s era guitar rippin’ solos.  The guitar tone is that stoner doominess, yet you can make everything out, thanks to a stellar mix job.

“The Blade” opens and sounds a lot like Ian Blurton’s Future Now, especially in the main vocal delivery and has more Ghost influence regarding the galloping and song structures.  The riffing is heavy and very catchy.  The song picks up to a nice gallop and is very headbang-worthy.  Excellent guitar melodies in the middle of the song.  The guitar tones and sounds really emulate the 70’s perfectly, while still maintaining freshness to this genre.

“From Below” scales back the galloping moments in favor of the band’s signature doom stoner metal.  The opening riff is heavy, yet mesmerizing with its catchiness.  This is a lumbering beast until it picks up a bit and that Ghost vibe is ever so strong and there are some keys too.  When I refer to Ghost I am mainly speaking about their first two albums.  This song is one of the best Kryptograf has ever written.  I actually think this would be a wild song to open in a live setting.  The various tempo shifts really go quite well.  The isolated guitar riff then explodes right into that Ghost-like gallop, which somewhat borders on thrash metal, yet is not quite as heavy.

“The Gales”, at over eight minutes, starts with killer galloping and synth organ like soundscapes.  This is more upbeat and that Ghost influence is so ever present on this song.  We get some acoustic action and more catchy galloping until the song slowly fades out, ending the album.

While I prefer Kryptograf’s earlier efforts, based on more of the doomy heaviness, Kryptonomicon is a pretty damn killer in its own right.  This is more upbeat and as previously stated there are heavy Ghost and Ian Blurton Future Now influences.  Since I love both bands I am good with that.  I did want some doomier parts, but hey I’m not in the band.  This is a real good eclectic heavy doomy psychedelic release

Now they are armed with a new record label and a new guitarist Obszen, who joins original members: Uretra on drums, Moregod on guitars, and Paingrinder on Vocals.  The continuity of original members really helps secure the band’s sound in keeping all things deathly and doomy intact with Revelations from the Void.  These are long songs as well.  5 songs in 52 minutes.

Opening with “The Hollow Valley” and at over 11 minutes long the band starts things off with thunderous drums.  The guitar melodies come forth quite excellently with the deep deathly vocals, sounding pained and angry at the same time.  We get some shouted spoken vocals early on too.  Those vocals continue at the 1.45 mark once the doom-death plod hits.  I actually thought, with hesitation, the vocals would return back to the death metal vocals, but nope, the clean vocals continue on.  This moment, even with the heaviness has more of a doom flair, getting away from some of the slow dirgy death metal.  Fear not!  The deep vocals once again return as this song plods and has a tie-in to early Anathema.  When they were a doom death band, with their debut ep and album.  There are some early Anathema melodies and plod, making this album almost sound like it came out of the UK, circa 1991.  The crawling, yet deliberate pace of this opener, continues, and the pace picks up frantically towards the end, just as it comes out of an atmospheric moment.  Great opener.  Long, but great, showcasing the band embracing a little more doom and gloom, and shelving more of their death metal influence, since their last album.

“Landsickness” starts right into the doom-death march with the deep vocals and the song even has a bit of jumpiness early on to it.  Then the song downtunes and shifts to a crawl with incredibly deep vocals.  With some of the melodies, one cannot argue that dISEMBOWELMENT, is not part of an influence here folks.  The heavy vicious guitar riffing, incorporates some killer harmonies around midway through the song.  The song picks up to a galloping speed and the cymbals are being smashed for good measure, just as the song continues to get faster.  This is yet another excellent song, that increases the death and shelves the straight-out doom, that was more prevalent in the album opener.

“Stargazing into the Void” ends the album and is the longest song at over 17 minutes.  Starting with an early My Dying Bride section with the violins, it sounds eerily similar to the MDB ep the flawless Symphonaire Infernus et Spera Empyrium from 1992, the title track opening moment.  I’m telling you this appears to be an homage.  It’s hauntingly beautiful.  The song has doom and death all over it with the clean shouted vocals returning with more orchestral moments.  Halfway through the deeper vocals and bludgeoning heaviness returns ten-fold.  The cleaner elements return, as well as the orchestral leanings, and then the song trails off.  Great closer.

Revelations from the Void sees Onirophagus still as a doom death band, yet expanding on their sound.  The band creating more of a straight doom atmosphere throughout much of the album with the increase in lighter harmonies, alongside the clean, pained vocals.  This could bring in more fans, who may not want as much death metal influence interwoven into their doom.  I do not foresee the drop off in death metal fans, as the death doom is prevalent throughout.  The band opting for a more expansive sound and this shows in their writing and production values.  Great album!

To begin the album, “Joy (Like a River), starts without much of an intro. One might think this is the title track, but you’d also have to say that about the rest of them since the proper songs have “Joy” in the title. Regardless, the first one is one of, if not the best track on the album. A great hook explodes immediately from the speakers with some heavy, slow doom riffing. Simon Bibby’s vocals may be jarring at first since they’re very close to power metal, but also Candlemass. They fit the music perfectly and are especially powerful in the chorus.

Every track bears mentioning, but I don’t have unlimited space. So, next on the list is “Joy (Beyond the Sound of My Voice). It’s a rousing, galloping start compared to the previous songs. Furious drum rolls from Angel Hernandez (not the MLB umpire) punctuate the riffs, which are of course another strength. Like any good doom track, there is a quieter section. Some spoken word passages seemingly narrate the track, then back into it.

It’s at this point I am going to point out that I’m not sure Greg and I have the same definition of joy. Regardless, the final two songs on Joy are excellent. “Joy (The Endings),” is the second to last, and it could fit snugly into the death/doom category. That doesn’t mean anything negative. It does take a substantial left turn into an atmospheric passage with keys and a guitar with over 3 minutes left. It’s not jarring, but in this section, Simon uses his lower register with excellent results. I will admit it almost sounds like two tracks, but the doom does come back, and I somehow can relate well to “I’d Like to Feel you Tear me to Pieces.” In my interpretation, it feels like those times when I’m down and just want to feel something, anything.

The final track, “Joy (Safety in Me),” is the longest, but nothing short of another masterpiece. After barely a minute, the track goes from its quiet origins to an eruption of riffs, then into mid-paced doom territory. It does pick up again for the chorus, but the song ends on an emotional note with keys and the ethereal vocals of Gabbi Coenen.

Greg may be right. This very well could be Witnesses’ best album. It’s difficult to dethrone the first album I’ve heard from a band, but time will tell, and I’m sure it will be kind to Joy. This needs to take up significant space in your ear holes. I’ve been listening to it for what feels like a while, but only because of its staying power. This is another stellar release from Witnesses, which has surely earned a spot on my year-end list. It’s nothing short of a powerful statement from an incredible artist who I still can’t believe isn’t signed to label. Check this out as soon as possible.

27 years later, the band has been resurrected by the original members, as well as new vocalist Felipe Plaza Kutzbach. Of course, comparisons will abound, so let’s get it out of the way; Felipe is not Agyl. With modern production techniques, Felipe is front and center, sounding much like Markus Becker of Atlantean Kodex. None of that matters if the band can’t write the riffs and bring the songs because there are high expectations.

I believe those expectations have been exceeded. If you’re into progressive doom, you’re going to have an album of the year contender. Take for example the lead track, “Ancient Doom Metal,” which begins with an ambient intro, but soon erupts into a killer doom riff, and the vocals come in just as quickly. The chorus even includes the words “ancient soul of doom metal.” They even add some light orchestration to the background. Maybe this will get the boss man, Erik to check it.

This would be a fine time to confirm what any readers of a review of this sub-genre probably expected; The songs are lengthy. That also brings me to my favorite, “Master of the Lake,” which is one of the shortest. When the riff comes in, the guitar lead on top outshines it. The riff is still massive, though. It takes about a minute for the vocals to start, and the approach is almost minimalist, letting the instruments breathe. That chorus, though! It’s one of my favorites of the year and it has been stuck in my head for weeks.

I realized I am nearly out of room, so I will take this to the last track, a triumphant-sounding scorcher called “The Enemy Among Us.” It’s nearly 8 minutes, so it’s one of the longer tracks. The riff is crunchier than your morning granola, and the drums hit heavy. There are minimal choral vocals buried in the background, mostly of the “oh” variety. The chorus is smooth and catchy, which is the norm for Ancient Doom Metal. However, perhaps this one is special because its words recall parts of the title of the first album. If you stick around for the end, you’ll even get treated to some falsettos.

I don’t know if you’re able to tell how enthused I am with this comeback, but it’s the epitome of what a band should do when they make a comeback. Of course, it feels as though we are now living in the times of the comeback album where bands we never thought could reconcile, are playing one-offs and perhaps recording new music. I’m here for it as many bands I was too young to enjoy are embracing it. I’m hoping Scald will somehow do some US tour dates, although I know that the likelihood is slim. Either way, they’ve released a stunning comeback, and one that will certainly be on the minds of many at the end of the year.

“Forked Tongue Revival” opens the album with a monstrous classic Black Sabbath riff, and when I refer to Sabbath, in WyndRider’s sound, I refer to the first 6 Sabbath albums, since that is what the band seems to be aiming for, as well as some other similar styled bands, presently playing this sort of music, like Trouble, Kryptograf and some other bands.  Back to this kicking riff……it then slows down, very softly with Chloe’s almost shoegaze-style vocals coming in as she croons away…it’s excellent, as is the chorus moment and tone.  Along with the main guitar riff, this moment is extremely catchy.  There is some excellent guitar soloing going on midway into the song and these moments really feel like they were drafted in the 70’s.

“Judas” has such a butt-stomping opening guitar riff, slow, brooding, heavy and truly classic.  Chloe’s vocals are very loungy on this song, and help in making the connection into stoner doom metal.. she has quite a nice range of vocals.  Not screaming, or aggressive, they’re pretty calm and chill, and go quite well with the vibe the band creates.  The 3.58 rhythm section is bonkers heavy with the soloing erupting and this part moves awesomely, then the vocals come in and that jamming goes on until the end of the song.  A very strong moment on this album.

Ending with the 7+ minute song “The Wheel”, this is depressive, yet heavy doom, at its very modern-day best.  Sounds like something that could have been on Sabbath’s classic Paranoid album.  Soooooooooo very catchy, as are the rest of these songs.  Robbie Willis knows how to craft those guitar riffs and Josh Brock can hit those drums slowly and precisely to keep the pace.  Joshuwah Herald’s bass guitar is there and present, adding to the undercurrent of heaviness, especially when Robbie rips into a guitar solo.  This is how you end an album….one that is doom/stoner metal that is…doomy, heavy drenched in a 70’s depressive atmosphere.  Live WyndRider need to dress the part—the guys need to grow sideburns, have bushy long hair and massive caterpillar mustaches and Chloe needs to throw some beads around her neck, on her wrists and they all need to come out live wearing bell bottom pants!

Revival is one helluva 2024 release and WyndRider are an exciting new metal band on the scene playing a sort of doom metal with numerous nods to classic bands, however offering up their own take on it as well, with some of the loungy moments happening across this.  And check out this killer artwork adorning the album cover!!  Killer album and band!

Like Winterfylleth, Arð (‘native land’) is focused on pre -Viking English history. While Take Up My Bones told the tale of  Lindisfarne’s Saint Cuthbert and his relics, Reed continues to take his musical historical expertise (His Philosophy PhD was titled “National Identity in Northern and Eastern European Heavy Metal”) with Untouched By Fire, telling the sagas of Warrior King Oswald of Northumbria.

And these tales are delivered with an austere regal, monastic form of doom metal, bolstered by Reed’s keyboard experience (as well as vocals, rhythm guitars, bass guitar, and organ/piano here). He’s joined by guitarist Dan Capp from Wolcensmen on lead guitar, acoustic guitar, and backing vocals, and Callum Cox (Atavist) on drums. Some other players help out on Cello and other medieval instruments to complete the recording’s solemn, anglo-saxon tones.

Musically, there are obvious nods to the holy trinity of British doom (Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, and Anathema) and Solstice with long, rending songs, delicate strings, organs, piano, and somber, plodding, knee-wilting riffs and melodies. But where Arð truly shines is the monastic choral vocals that imbue the likes of early Pantheist, some of Germany’s Enid (i.e. “Exemption” from Gradwanderer), and a slightly less baritone Árstíðir Lífsins. There is no growling, screaming, or crooning, the vocals are delivered entirely in this monkish, choral chant that’s like being in Canterbury Cathedral in 700AD. And at times it’s breathtaking.

The heavy, forlorn, Church-like atmosphere permeates the entire album, with long songs from 5-9 minutes and one sort of sung interlude clocking in at just over 3 minutes. The album is one of those ‘headphone’ albums that requires you to listen to the whole affair at once and be bathed in the swathes of absolutely gorgeous keyboards and vocals while you sip on mead in the old ruins of a church.

From opener “Cursed to Nothing but Patience” to closer “Casket of Dust”, the album is absolutely mesmerizing. If the opening chants and piano/strings of “Name Bestowed” don’t give you goosebumps, you are dead inside. Now, the riffs, while appropriately doomy and mopey, aren’t the focus here, while they are serviceable, they never truly peak or payoff in any of te songs, but it’s really about the vocals, pianos, and strings here. Case and point; the main riffs from “Hefenfelth” are certainly there, but the organs and vocals make it. The layered riffs and despondent harmonies from “He Saw Nine Winters” and closer ‘Casket of Dust” are a little more impactful and emotive, but still……. those vocals…just sooo good. I haven’t been as impacted by clean vocals since Lunar Mercia .in early 2023

If you, like me were disappointed by My Dying Bride’s A Mortal Binding, then let Untouched by Fire be your English doom ringer and bask in its gorgeous monastic warmth.

Funeral for a King is 9 songs in 43 minutes and this sees the band streamline their songs a bit; however out of the 9 songs, two are instrumentals and you all know my disdain for instrumentals on albums.  On this one is an interlude several songs in and the title track opening the album is actually a true instrumental.  The music is excellent, make no mistake about that, but for me, opening an album with an instrumental does not work as well as let’s say just opening with a regular song to get things going, therefore “Bushido”, the next track should have been the opener.  I enjoy the isolated drum and bass guitar opening prior to the guitars coming in and Ms. Pinion’s vocals, once again……are on fire.  Her voice is exceptional with her variety of tones.  In terms of epic doom metal, her vocals are some of the best out there in my opinion and in many sections this album sounds to me like early Solitude Aeturnus.  Various guitar melodies and dual-layering of vocals on this song are the stand out moments.  About midway in the doom really hits slower and plods and some homages to ancient Candlemass are highly evident and swoon quite spectacularly, with some nice double bass action coming through as the song picks up to a mid-paced crushing heaviness.

“The Bargain” is up next with a plethora of vocal aria’s to open this plodding doomy number.  This slow heavy plod, calls to mind Morgion, from Rhett’s past, in some respects, before the song picks up the pace with an epic stylized metal attack.  Ok, let me stop right here to say if possible, if they want to Stygian Crown needs to tour and a perfect tour for them would be alongside some epic bands, such as: Visigoth, Eternal Champion, and Greyhawk.  I really think this tour package would be stellar..Regardless of that bucket list tour for me, this song is ultra-heavy with memorable riffs.  The riffing on this album is even stronger than the debut album and just like that album the riffs are easy to make out, even with how heavy they are.  The strong production on this album also assists in that aspect.

The album ends with “Strait of Messina” where the doomy plod opens and the beautiful vocals come in with Pinion sounding eerily similar to classic and best Candlemass vocalist Messiah Marcolin, with this song having a very Ancient Dreams type of sound..the main guitar riff is like a 20lb hammer sledgehammering away at your skull again and again and again and again until you have been hammered into the ground like a rusty old ass nail.  The song picks up with an epic buildup and trudges along with soaring vocals, guitar melodies and the undercurrent of the bass guitar is present. This is the way you end an epic doom metal album, folks.

Stygian Crown’s Funeral for a King is a damn fine doom metal album with epic and bombastic vocals and creative song structures with veterans from the scene, I would expect nothing less.  Rhett-you done good, my brother.  All the musicians in top form on this album and if you enjoy doom metal, with nods to epic heavy metal, or just really damn good heavy music, you will thoroughly enjoy this kick ass metal album!!

Since the band’s 1999 transitional effort The Light at the End of the World and excellent 2001 album, The Dreadful Hours, My Dying Bride has delivered some fine albums of their trademark violin-flicked goth-doom, which saw the return of Aaron Stainthorpe’s growls again that in my opinion peaked with 2006s A Line of Deathless Kings back in 2006 and  A Map of All Our Failures in 2012.   But The Ghost of Orion seemed to lean a little more into the band’s second act (The Angel and the Dark River, Like Gods of the Sun), with more tempered, mopey throes and more clean singing and less growling, though it was still there, and welcomed to these ears.  And A Mortal Binding has the same overall feel and tone as The Ghost of Orion.

As if to almost throw listeners off, “Her Dominion” opens with the album’s heaviest, heaving, stuttering cut with angular riffs and time changes that are a bit awkward along with Stainthorpe’s now slightly strained growls. But from there, the rest of the album certainly feels more like the band’s cleaner, softer phase, even with some piecemeal growls here and there. |

The album just seems very paint by numbers with hardly any moments that truly stand out. I hate to use the word ‘boring’ but “Thornwyk Hymn” sort of exemplifies the majority of the album an almost 7-minute song or warbling riffs and clean vocals that don’t go anywhere or elicit any real emotion- a cornerstone of My Dying Bride‘s sound. . I think the loss of guitarist Calvin Robertshaw in 2018 is starting to show more and more, despite Andrew Craighan’s best effort to recreate the morose but majestic melancholy of yore. Even the violins of long-time violinist Shaun MacGowan sound a bit tired.

“The 2nd of Three Bells” feels the same after its teasing, somber opening throes, but there’s just something missing from the dual melancholic melodies of Craighan and Neil Blanchett. The same can be said of “Unthroned Creed”, 11-minute “The Apocalyptist”, which like the opener forces a bit more heaviness into things, and at times doesn’t even sound like My Dying Bride, though the short-lived riffs around 7 and 9 minutes in certainly do. Closer “Crushed Embers” is also in the OK, but hardly memorable category.

That all said, as they have always done, the band does occasionally deliver some pure despondent bliss (i.e. “Your Broken Shore”, “To Outlive the Gods”, and “Tired of Tears” from Orion) that signals when the band is on top of their game, they are considered the masters of the genre and have been for 20+ years. On A Mortal Binding it’s fewer and far between as it’s only the penultimate number “A Starving Heart” that truly evokes some emotion and rending, emotive riffage.

Still, in my humble opinion, A Mortal Binding is the band’s weakest effort since 34.788%… Complete, though of course not as experimental as that failed affair. It’s certainly not a legacy breaker, but it just is not quite up to what I’ve expected from the band in the last 15 years since the growls came back.

The legitimacy of such a reformation, which happened several years back, is the return of original members: Tim Beyer – Guitars, Keyboards, Steve Gross – Keyboards, Guitars and Steve Crane -Vocals, Bass.  In 2018 Sean Smith joined on drums.  8 songs in 49 minutes, starting with “Beacon Obscured”, Dusk wastes no time as the brooding sounds erupt immediately, almost in a funeral doom-death fashion.  Actually, in a funeral doom-death fashion.  Slow plodding and deliberate the heaviness is apparent as the song plods and that guitar tone – woooahhh Stop The Clock!  It is heavy AF.  The double bass drums erupt in a mid-paced grinding madness before the ethereal atmosphere comes in with some haunting female vocals.  Then the doom death erupts with growly vocals and terrific keyboards.  The heaviness again takes a back seat for that ethereal atmospheric part to return and the female vocals are excellent – as she sings and chants some nice aria’s.  The album cover is befitting, with the creepy cathedral in the backdrop and fog in the dense forest.  The guitar riffs are well thought out and they capture the heaviness of a doom death band, you would expect, from a band called Dusk.

“Libations Offered” is another song ushering in those haunting, yet beautiful female vocals.  The plodding nature of the song, hits hard, as does the snare drum.  It pops and it sounds like Smith is trying to break as many snare drums as humanely possible and this is slow music.  Nothing like taking your anger out on some depressively heavy-ass music.  Some excellent growls on this song, especially around the 5-minute mark -those growls are similar to a wind growling, check it out.  I listened on my AirPods and the sounds were encircling my shaved dome, and add some menace to the music.

“Shrouded in Mist” is the longest song at over 8 minutes, another song going perfectly with the album cover.  The song hits hard with those guitar riffs and heavy double-bass action.  I really like the rumbling heaviness that is Dusk.  The isolated guitar riff at the 1-minute mark is the holy shit part, because when the music gets in the heavy mid-paced rumbling, the section is comparable to Bolt Thrower, on some of their slower rumbling songs.  This brings an evil grin to this bearded mug.  The slow down at the 2.15 mark, is great and it plods in a fashion similar to Winter, with the super slow dirge and you’re waiting for that snare drum to be hit, because there is such a delay when it actually hits.  Very cool part and then the double bass comes in again, with some neat guitar melodies.  Vocals have the gruff delivery and he also lets out some higher register screamy growls.  I’m not the biggest fan of those higher register moments, but suffice it to say, it does add a creative nuance to the vocals, so they are not one-dimensional.

“An Aerial View” closes the album in an opening soft fashion where the female vocals take center stage and the music is intertwined with much atmosphere.  I picture this moment being lost in the woods with leafless trees and snow all over the place as icicles are dripping from the trees as well.  The song picks up the pace and keyboards are on this song as well.  The heaviness continues until the end of the song, rather than ending, as the song begins.  This song ends rather abruptly, in my opinion.  I think a better ending transition would have worked a bit more.

Dissolve into Ash is a damn fine doom death album from Dusk and welcome back with your long overdue album gents.  I like when bands reform, but actually put out a new album, and Dusk prove they have more depressive music left in their tank of death to spread to the masses.  Hey if you enjoy doom death metal album with a lot of atmosphere and haunting keyboards, I recommend Dusk.

In the case of Echoes of Yore, we have some pretty big hitters from the gothic/doom realm with Mike Lamb of Sojourner writing the songs and playing all instruments, former Draconian singer Heike Langhans, and none other than Aaron Stainthorpe of My Dying Bride. The latter two provide magnificent beauty and the beast vocals over some top-notch gothic doom metal that culls heavily from both vocalist’s former and current bands.

I mean look at the song titles like “Her Lips Were Poetry and Doom” (which starts the album with Stainthorpe’s unmistakeable, dark, sultry spoken words), “She Was But an Echo of Yore”, “Through Memories, I Gave Her Life” or “If the Tears Are Forgotten”. It’s pure 90s Peaveville Gothic doom through and through, as Lamb channels a heavy My Dying Bride (mainly guitarist Andrew Craighan as well as Stainthorpe) vibe through morose, lumbering layered riffs with Stainthorpe growling and crooning his way through most of the tracks and Langhans adding some lovely female vocals as she did on two Draconian albums.

That is probably all the sell you need, certainly if you are a fan of either vocalist’s work. The 7 songs and 42 minutes are somber, but beautiful dirges with dual vocals that carry some gravitas throughout with Lamb providing somber strings/organs/piano, and knee-wilting, layered harmonies dripping with despondency, that should satiate you until the next My Dying Bride or Draconian albums.

In particular “Faith of Thy Beloved”, “She Was But an Echo of Yore” and “Through Memories, I Gave Her Life” stand out on a fine album, another solid release from Tragedy Productions.

Will you be remembered at all?

The ultimate weight of our own legacy hangs like a formless specter, bearing down on us with every waking moment, growing heavier and more gnarled with every step towards this life’s inevitable conclusion. And that’s kind of a bitch, ain’t it? The idea of spending any of your very limited time in this existence worrying about what people are going to think when you’re gone – it’s not just wasteful, it’s pretentious. Who are any of us to assume anyone is going to be left thinking of us at all when we go? And what’s more, why should they? Life goes on.

Until, I suppose, it doesn’t.

Nearly 30 years in, Primordial have already well cemented their own legacy. Their pedigree, their importance in the development and progress of not just Black Metal, but all of extreme music, is unquestionable. With nothing really left to prove, it seems the only thing left to ponder is, appropriately, “how does it all end?” Primordial mastermind A.A. Nemtheanga (AKA Alan Averill) himself has made suggestion that we’re in the twilight of Primordial’s time, so it’s fair to start wondering how such a legendary act wraps up three decades of truly inspiring and original work.

How it Ends may not be the band’s actual swansong, but if it’s any indication of how the band will ultimately see itself out, we can assume this – 30 years is a long friggin’ time, and as has always been true of Primordial, they’re not here for your instant gratification. You will have to work for it a bit, and while I understand that sort of listening experience is not for everyone, I also think in this case, it’s well worth the effort. Every Primordial album is an experience, as much as they are simply a new collection of songs, so your best bet is to sit down for a concerted listening sesh if you really want to get the full effect.

Of course, Nemtheanga’s commanding presence is the first thing that always jumps out upon first listening, and it’s no difference here, but credit must again be given to guitarist Ciaran MacUiliam, who’s flying solo now after the departure of longtime fellow axeman Michael O’Floinn. There’s no drop off in the quality of riffs or, in what has become an increasingly more prevalent part of the band’s sound, the classic Heavy Metal-inspired melodies that always have me daydreaming about road trips inside a wizard-mural-painted Astro van. And the leads here are mighty! The harmonies on “Ploughs to Rust, Swords to Dust” and “Traidisiunta” effectively pull off the effect of both putting a swell of pride and bravado in your chest, while still feeling mournful and pleading, befitting an album exploring the world’s downfall in all it’s facets. To that end, “Pilgrimage to the World’s End” is just one of many prime examples of a song perfectly crafted around an album’s theme – a slow burner that plays out more while sitting down at the fire, listening to some epic tragedy woven and performed by a well-seasoned bard. You can feel the dread of impending doom, the dirge of hopelessness in Nemtheanga’s voice as he tells his tale of desperate, abandoned humanity.

It’s also true that, to this point in Primordial‘s career, Nemtheanga has become an absolute master of using his voice to convey emotion and emphasis, and so much of this album really relies on the listener taking extra care to focus on not just his performance, but the actual lyrics themselves to capture the full effect. This can be seen as a detriment to some, understandably. This is not a casual listen. These are long tracks – and there are some lengthy stretches where it feels the instruments are there only to serve as backdrop for Nemtheanga to take canter stage. It probably feels that way because… well… that’s pretty much what’s happening! That said, it doesn’t mean the rest of the band is mailing it in – not even remotely. I’ll put it to you this way: Michael Jordan is one of the greatest to ever play the game of basketball. His individual talents are undeniable. But as good as Michael Jordan was, even he could not enjoy his level of success with just any surrounding cast. It took 7 years to find the right formula that finally unlocked Jordan’s full potential, and it truly took every piece of the puzzle to do their jobs to make the whole thing work. In that way, think of Ciaran MacUiliam, Pol MacAmhlaigh, and Simon O Laoghaire as Phil Jackson, Scottie Pippen, and Horace Grant (If I’ve lost you with all of this, I apologize but I promise this makes perfect sense. Trust me, I’m an internet blogger). They may not be the headline grabbers, but they’re all doing their part to make the machine churn. As mentioned already, MacUiliam’s guitars really set the tone, even at their most simple. The guitars aren’t competing for attention or trying to blow you away, they’re helping to set the stage.

“Call to Cernunnos” (an ancient Gaelic horned God of nature, animals, and fertility) plays out just as the title suggests, a called-out prayer to a higher power, seeking answers to the world’s problems. We’re talking rhythmic, ritualistic drums, and a joyous, uplifting riff that feels very much like an act of worship, like a congregation coming together to summon a higher spirit. But then, midway through, a noticeable shift in tone takes place – much darker and foreboding. The congregation is no longer praying in adoration, but because they need this powerful being to come to earth and reverse all the ills humanity have wreaked upon the earth. Again, nothing here is blowing anyone away, but it suits Primordial‘s intentions perfectly – everything working in harmony to tell a story. No wasted efforts, and just enough dramatic flare to raise the hairs on your arms every so often.

It remains to be seen when Primordial will call it a day, but while their time on Earth remains, we can rest assured that the band will continue to do things their own way – the way that has built them up to be one of the more revered and influential acts of a generation. Comparing this to any of their other work is inevitable, but pointless. At the end of the day, what’s true about How it Ends is the same that’s been true of Primordial‘s work for decades: there’s nothing else out there quite like it, and frankly, there likely will never be again. This may not have the immediate gratification you seek as a casual listener, but once you fully immerse yourself into the tales put together here, somber and foreboding as they may be, I think you’ll find How it Ends a real treat worthy of the band’s illustrious career.

The original lineup of V consisted of Swedish hardcore and metal scene stalwarts Andreas Bair and Jonas Gyrth (still with the band) who formed the original starting point of V called Amend, who were the next iteration of the band Clean Shade of Dirty featuring guitarist Per Sodomizer Eriksson of Bloodbath and Katatonia fame. So for those keeping track, it’s Clean Shade of Dirty > Amend > V > Vorder which, according to the band, is a change made to celebrate the band making it out the other side of the pandemic, calling it an “upgrade to: V order, the order of V which is written as: Vorder.”

Why is all this important? I DUNNO! But the band mention this all in the press pack attached to this record sooooo… I guess they thought you might want to know? Now you know!

Anyway, this album is pretty friggin’ neat.

Speaking of the pandemic, before it hit, the band formerly known as V (and all those other ones) made a live recording on top of a mountain because… why not? I guess (?) it’s called Led Into the Wild and, you can see parts of it on Youtube but the rest is apparently impossible to find. Countless Google and Youtube searches turn up nothing (I tried every version of the band’s name that I know of), and the couple videos that you can sort-of find have been viewed only a couple hundred times since they were posted a year and a half ago. I only bring this up because it seems to point to a pattern of this band doing needlessly VERY difficult and complicated things for a payoff that, as far as I can tell anyway, is very minimal. Don’t get me wrong, the videos I can see are pretty dang cool! I’d love to see more! But the product just seems inaccessible. It’s really mysterious! Spooky, even, which is entirely appropriate given the type of atmospheric, dreary (in the best way), eerie Scandinavian Doom and Post-Hardcore we find on False Haven. From the ominous album cover, to the murky production, to the pacing and tone of the entire experience, Vorder create a palpable atmosphere of internal anguish, hopelessness and fear, and yet… somehow an introspective beauty that come together for a satisfying, if oppressive listen.

From the first note of “Introspective,” the tone is set with unmistakable dread – there’s a mournful, desolate quality to the opening guitars that let you know straight away this is not going to be an invigorating experience. But where you may be lead to believe the band may follow with something slow, plodding, maybe even a bit airy – the band instead goes for an immediate gut punch of heaping Isis/Pelican inspired Post-Hardcore riffs that carry the weight of a thousand dying suns, while vocalist Andreas Baier’s tortured screams seem to be hurdled to the heavens themselves, drenched in a sort of bitter agony and spite aimed at whoever would listen. It’s the sort of murk and mire that worships at the temple of Neurosis and Old Man Gloom, while culling from the emotional depths of the likes of Harakiri for the Sky or Numenorean, perhaps no more bleakly than on “The Few Remaining Lights,” which (I think?) features a guest vocal spot from… someone. Whoever it is carries a disoriented, mournful tune that lends itself perfectly to the vibe (if this is just what Andreas’ cleans sound like, my apology for the mix-up) Vorder are conjuring, and just to add an even greater sense of doom, the band breaks out the use of organs on the track that, along with the track’s plodding, cavernous riffs, transport you to a moth and cobweb-ridden crypt that, by the sounds of things, may well end up your eternal resting place. It’s such a perfectly suited track for this album that I just find myself wanting even more of it when it’s over.

Thankfully, it’s certainly not an end to the oppression. The horrifically foreboding “Judgement Awaits” could well be a final dirge for the sort of person who enters death with trepidation – knowing full well that if there is an afterlife, they’re not destined for a very peaceful one. There’s a fantastic build before the song’s mournful solo that pounds like the hammering heartbeat of a death row inmate strapped to the chair, just waiting for their executioner to throw the switch and send them to whatever form of eternity awaits them. Similarly, album closer “Come Undone” plays out like someone who’s reached the end of their rope, simultaneously dragging their feet to an inevitable, ugly end – and lashing out the entire way at every injustice and grievance that’s been heaped upon them. I’ll be honest, like a lot of Doom, it’s 10+ minutes probably isn’t entirely necessary, but regardless it’s still a perfectly fitting end to this dreary affair.

By all accounts, this could well be the last we hear of the name Vorder before the band goes back into hibernation for a bit and reemerges as, like Vorder.X or Vorderian or some other moniker with an equally confusing explanation. Who knows! What I do know is that for now, Vorder have created a wonderfully deep and dark record that certainly makes the Scandinavian tradition of high-quality doom proud. Here’s to hoping False Haven gets the attention is rightfully deserves.

Normally, when I crave something of this ilk, I tend reach for Novembers Doom, Paradise Lost, Draconian, Officium Triste, or even Katatonia, before I go for Hanging Garden.  I have to be honest though, my experience with the band is relatively small, and much of the little experience I do have, comes from time spent spinning their 2019 release, Into that Good Night, in preparation for review; by the way, I found Into that Good Night to be a fantastic album.

Yet with The Garden, the band just doesn’t seem to move me to the degree I was hoping for. Maybe my own personal expectations were too askew, or maybe I’m just an asshole. While damn near every individual track on The Garden is, in all honesty, good in its own right, the album as a whole just doesn’t reach that pinnacle of greatness. The album opener, “The Garden”, starts out quite promising, it’s slow, somber, and beautiful with its Draconian-like etherealness of beauty and beast. The track is really good, but overall just a bit too safe and after repeated listens becomes, dare I say, boring. The song never really hits any proper peak and probably could have benefitted from being shaved down a minute or two.

Things seem to pick up nicely though, with the following track, “The Four Winds”. With some really nice guitar work, including some great melodious licks, as well as some terrific vocals from both, Riikka Hatakka and Toni Hatakka, the song gives me a strong feeling of Orphaned Land in more than a few places. Though “The Four Winds” has solid pacing, it never really seems to break out or give us a breakdown, so to speak. Too bad, as the potential for greater dynamics is missed.

On more than one occasion Hanging Garden really let their Paradise Lost influence shine, not that that is a bad thing by any means, and they surely take said influence and turn it into their own sound, but one can’t deny the feeling of the U.K. stalwarts in tracks like “The Construct” or “The Stolen Fire”. The former brings dominant gutturals with guitar and piano that seem to share the same presence and make smart use of getting in and out, with the song only reaching the three-and-a-half minute mark (Hell, that practically grinds when it comes to death-doom of this nature); while the latter is a slower to mid-paced affair that is heavy on emotion, but doesn’t really go anywhere in the long run.

“The Song of Spring” had me hooked from the getgo with its wonderful beginning, ringing so much in the vein of Officium Triste, but after a mere 37 seconds the song loses the potential steam it could have played off of and falls into the slow-moving pace of beauty and tragedy. They do return to that opening salvo, but instead of adding to it and playing off of it, they muddy it up with vocals that feel somewhat unnecessary. I rather enjoyed “The Journey”, it’s a solid track with a bit of added rawness to it that sticks to your ribs, though the song’s slower moments tend to drain the energy just a little too much. Cutting some of those moments down would have turned “The Journey” into quite a little blistering number.

The Garden ends on a pair of high notes in “The Fireside” and “The Resolute”. Coming in on the more commercial-sounding side of things, “The Fireside” is simply a well-rounded track that doesn’t really offer a lot in the spectrum of peaks and valleys, but satisfies quite well. “The Resolute” is honestly, just more of what we know the band is capable of, but it manages to showcase pretty much all sides of the group. I dig the guttural vocals mixed with the somber yet engaging melody and the emotion achieved. A good song and a good closer.

Pair all of this with solid performances and great, crushing, and heavy production, and The Garden seems to be quite a nice album. Though for some reason it just seems to fall short of the mark with me. Some of it lays with three tracks that probably should have stayed on the cutting room floor i.e. “The Fire at First Dawn”, “The Nightfall”, and “The Derelict Bay”. The first two songs are not bad really, but they don’t feel necessary, while “The Derelict Bay” is a definitely unnecessary instrumental.

As I stated earlier, The Garden‘s individual tracks are almost all good, but as a whole the album just seems to miss the mark. Mixed into your playlist and shuffled amongst others, while you commute or do whatever the hell you guys do, these songs seem to work better for some reason. Listening to the album, as a whole, while driving your car and this album feels draining. Maybe it’s just that The Garden is probably best absorbed on a late night with the lights low, and a nice drink in hand as you kick back in your favorite sitting spot. Maybe my expectations really were too lofty for whatever reason. Most likely though, it’s just that I’m an asshole.