Clouds - Durere

#FOR FANS OF: Death Doom

Clouds shouldn’t need any introduction, as they’ve been one of the more productive Doom Metal bands, regularly unleashing albums every two years ever since their founding in 2013. I was thrilled to hear about their work on new material, and it has been a great ride to partake on.

A strumming guitar melody greets me in a folk like way. A fragile voice speaks of not being able to guide you, leaving you lost in the darkness. As the vocals kick in, it’s in a raw fashion. I almost feel like Daniel is standing right before me. This track is a perfect opening example for how great the diversity of this album is. A violin plays a slow, lamenting melody over the growly speech. There’s even a section of heavy guitar, which in a strange way doesn’t seem out of place at all

Following the same recipe, “Empty Hearts” starts out as a folk melody with only guitar and voice. The vocals seem fragile, sinister and naked. After a few minutes though, it takes a turn for a doomy side. the viollin takes more room, and we are once again drenched in the pitch black void that is... The heavy guitar drapes the piece in a melancholic veil, without sacrificing any of the brutality of the vocals.

A piano is starting off “Images And Memories”, slowly dragging its notes in a spray of misty echoes. The soft vocals whisper over a soft synth sound, along with a violin weeping. The vibrato in (vocalists) voice makes the song gain another level of emotions. A punching guitar riff is introduced after a few minutes, and the vocals are replaced by a brutal series of low pitched growls. It’s amazing how well the song progresses so harmonically, it’s almost like a living organism just breathing freely. Once again a short guitar solo finds its place, without ever seeming out of style.

“Above The Sea” has another piano intro. This one is a bit more uplifting than the other one. Slow paced, it consists of a voice, subtle piano notes and that violin. As the riffs start, the screams return in force. Vast, dragged out howls accompanies the lenthy guitar notes. There’s room for a short intermezzo here, serving as a gentle resting spot about half way through the album. The rest is filled with a barrage of distorted guitar, menacing growls, and that haunting piano melody to remind you of where you are: In the domain of Clouds.

A gentle guitar strums”A Sailor Waves Goodbye” into life. (Vocalists) soothing and calm voice tells a tale of suffering and pain. As the song progresses, a Death Metal like riff is giving it more energy, and really makes it stand out from the rest. After that, it becomes something more. A saturated mix of violin, brutal growls and prolonged riffs.

After an ominious and brief guitar intro, a fog horn like violin is playing. “A Fathers Death” lays, in a similar fashion as the previous track, subtle vocals over a piano backdrop. The quick fadeout of distorted guitar and violin surprises me, and leave me in awe as the mood is altered to represent a brittle and fragile aspect of this band. A true master in diversity. The heavier side of this track doesn’t hold anything back either. (Vocalist) drags his growls out to drape the slow riffs in another layer of depressive mood. there’s another section of spoken word accompaniedf by a piano, and all these little instances lets the listener breathe for a few moments during the span of the album. I welcome these small moments of calm before the storms, and feel they communicate another layer of emotions through the music.

“The End of Hope” starts out a bit brighter than the others, but at a bit slower pace. The clean singing is emotive, sincere and well mixed with the guitar and drums. As the growly vocals begins, a flute plays in the background, a welcome change of perspective. An electric guitar solo also finds its place, but somehow they manage to weave it in without compromising the nature of this album; a true and honest tribute to feelings of despair and loneliness.

There’s a lot of genial moments in the album. I was surprised about the mix of heavy guitar, growls and violin at first, but then I came to remember how great this rare occurrence has worked in the past. The clean parts are equally great in the way they let me get close and personal with a person who can utter such brutal and blood curdling screams of agony. The overall result of 'Durere' seems well thought out, diverse, polished and epic. Epic in the way an unusual element like heavy guitar works with this genre of music, epic in the sorrow envisioned in the lyrics. I’ve always enjoyed the few acts of doom metal which incorporates violin into their soundscape, and now I’ve found another album to thoroughly enjoy over the years. Thank you, Clouds. (Ole Grung)

(Self - 2020)
Score: 95

https://www.facebook.com/CloudsBandOfficial

Luna - S/t

#FOR FANS OF: Instrumental Death/Doom

This Ukrainian project has been around since 2013, and released their debut album 'Ashes to Ashes' in 2014. I became aware of their existence only early this year, and was intrigued by the mix of Doom and Death Metal elements. This album proves that they are still able to incorporate new sounds into their realm of sadness. Mastermind deMort has his way of delivering massive cuts of raw, uncompromising instrumental tracks. The opening track goes like a waltz of slowly decaying corpses on their way to eternal damnation. Dragged out into extreme porportions, there’s little room for variety. The drums are relentlessly bashing my eardrums, while the violin suite hangs in the background. It rises and falls in key like waves of the ocean washing over a deserted beach. An endless symphony of destruction and death lingers upon us for nearly twenty minutes, and the subtle alternations underway makes it worthwhile to listen to in full. Part two of the three-piece symphony is much lighter, focusing more on strings than anything else. It’s almost like a gleam of hope is protruding from the previous dark territory, but when an electric organ sound is introduced we are reminded that we’re still there. The organ continues to take up much of the soundscape during the section, and gives life to a number of different parts. The outro is played like a series of long chords accompanied by a number of short bursts of soft synth. The final installment is far heavier than the rest, and a simple sad melody plays with long guitar riffs. While this is by far the brightest tune on the album, the organ and the violin keeps it in the dark. There’s a small overture section about halfway through which serves as a end marker for the album. After a brief pause, there’s a bonus track which is more upbeat than the rest. What the rest of the album lacks in versatility, this track makes up for. There’s instances of double drums and experimental riffs for a brief while, before the sound returns to its point of origin: Slow, menacing guitar riffs draped over an organ skeleton. (Ole Grung)

(Solitude Productions - 2019)
Score: 80

https://lunametal.bandcamp.com/

Raventale – Morphine Dead Gardens

#FOR FANS OF: Funeral Doom

An Ukrainian band which I have come to adore, these have been mostly focused around the genres of black and doom metal so far. To my delight, they announced their decision to make a Funeral Doom record earlier this year. That word is like honey to me, so I spammed their bandcamp site for something to listen to. In September the links worked, and I was finally able to enjoy the full album. And what an album it is. Where Red Moon Architect excels as to include intricate melodies into their works, Raventale proves with this release that they are just as able. The album kicks off with a deep, saturated growl, together with a slow, throbbing guitar based melody. The vocals are clear, and follows the melody nicely. The overall sound is enchanting, with it’s constant guitar tremolo piercing my ears. There’s no room to breathe during the barrage of growls and drums. After near ten minutes, a small crack appears in the scenery, and the mood lightens a bit. I’m surprised as I look at the time, since I feel I only just sat down with this record. A proof of Astaroth’s masterful songwriting. It takes quite an effort and skill to write music like this, both in terms of lenght and heaviness, but I am overwhelmed by the quality of this release. “Lorn And Deserted” brings back some of my most cherished memories from Colosseum’s legendary Funeral Doom trilogy. Masterful symphonic orchestrations of a journey into darkness and futility. The synth’s piano sound is perfectly matching the guitar, and the deep guttoral vocals serves as an underlining of it all. A recurring movement makes this track in particular stand out as the most memorable one from the album. During the remainer of 'Morphine Dead Gardens', we are treated with epic long riffs, great drumming sections, even more stellar growls and of course, all in a varied sort of way. It’s hard to say exactly what is so good about this album: is it all the miniscule moments where they play around with varied tempo, changes in vocal styles or which intruments gets the spotlight? I’m not sure, I’m just grateful that someone has made such a fantastic album for my listening pleasure. The closing track opens like a lamenting epilogue, with long guitar notes scattered across a backdrop of drums and synth. As it moves foreard, it slowly transforms into another being. A huge creature, roaring with its giant mouth. It is like a mammoth that moves steadily in the direction it pleases. It seems that nothing can stop it on its destructive path through the remainder of the album. I am left with a sense of bittersweet joy; I am awe struck by the experience, and saddened by the fact that it is over. Sure, Funeral Doom is not an easy genre to appreciate, and a lot of artists doesn’t make a good enough effort to keep me interested over the course of an entire album. This is not the case with 'Morphine Dead Gardens', as it it full of all the little surprises and differences that makes the genre something unique. From the spoken words section of “This Forsaken Place”, via the Osmium level riffs on “Morphine Gardens” to the slowly roaring machine in “As An Empty Shell”, everything seems in its right place. A well polished experience, with an amazing sound fidelity. (Ole Grung)

(Ashen Dominion - 2019)
Score: 90

https://raventale.bandcamp.com/album/morphine-dead-gardens

Slow – VI: Dantalion

#FOR FANS OF: Funeral/Doom

Dehà, the mastermind behind the moniker Slow, is known for his vast expanses of noisy Funeral Doom. To me, this record was highly anticipated, because I loved the path from number 'IV: Mythologie' to 'V: Oceans'. It’s also special because it was the first Funeral Doom record I ever purchased. I was relatively new to the genre, but hooked instantly. From the start of this new album, I can tell right away that he chose to stay on path, without compromising any of the brutal aspects of sound.

I love how the slow riffs drags the melody onwards, with the haggard screams perfectly echoing the depressive and gloomy atmosphere. Like a descending vortex of destruction, complete with drums which pummels you to the ground whenever you reach upwards. Dehàs vocals are a mixture of screams and whispers, and has always been a hallmark of this project. It always fits well with the rest of the instrumentation. The synth strings are playing a big role in supporting the constant barrage of noise, and there is little room to breathe among these dense melodies of fading hope throughout the album. Whenever I catch a break, it’s only to harden myself for a brief while before the next attack ensues. There are some small parts of guitar only, but the eerie tone does little to ease the tension in this album. It plays like a single symphony of dilapitation and disarray, filled to the brink with noise. The overall mix if bottom heavy, and it feels steadily rooted at the base. The bass lines keeps everything level, and the guitars are never too loud. It’s like the backdrop of a howling wind, which blows only for you to hear it whenever there is a quiet moment away from the ongoing slaughter.

Towards the end of the record, the strings are more prominent. The album gets more intense, quickens the pace, and the guitar screams more. The drums are more like a march, driving the listener through an ominous terrain riddled with overture notes. As the guitar echoes in solitude, it seems like a fog horn has entered, and along with it even heavier drums and Dehás bone chilling howls of torment. The throbbing pulse is slow and steady. In keeping with the other great acts of the genre. As we journey onwards, it becomes more saturated, and almost drowned in a sea of noise. A clean set of vocals are following an alternate chorus line, and it seems to be working well, despite the initial oddness. Like a starting fire, the song rages on, increasing in intensity, until it finally dies, and only the "Elégie" remain. It’s a beautiful simple melody which starts with two strings being strummed, creating a sense of desolation and sadness. As with life, they fade away into a gentle synth and strings hybrid, which cements the feeling of despair and loneliness otherwise embraced on the album. A fitting funeral anthem to be played at the great departures of great men. (Ole Grung)

(Code666 Records - 2019)
Score: 85

https://slowdooom.bandcamp.com/album/vi-dantalion