Doomed For Metal Reviews

Post Luctum is a one-man melodic death/doom band from California, United States who hit the scene in 2019 with its debut EP “ After Mourning .”  The project’s latest album, “ Timor Lucis ,” is the band’s third full-length; two additional EPs have also been released. I’ve been a fan of this band for a while now and have never been anything less than blown away.  “ Timor Lucis ,” is yet another sterling chapter in Post Luctum ’s story and finds mastermind Ian surpassing his already impressive standards. The album’s themes of isolation, loneliness and being rejected are represented frighteningly well across the album’s 7 song, 50-minute runtime.  The album’s title is, I think, Latin for “fear of the light,” or something similar at least.  That is in of itself a powerful message, one that is fully represented across the album’s harrowing journey.  Is this fear some sort of twisted addiction?  Human beings can get used to anything—our resilience to unimaginable...

Malignant Aura is a death/doom metal band from Australia that formed in 2018. Their latest album, “ Where All of Worth Comes to Wither ,” is their second full-length album. I didn't review it but I was a fan of their debut and I’m thrilled to have the chance to write about their second dark opus.  “ Where All of Worth Comes to Wither ,” is even better than the debut and has something to offer for fans of both death and doom metal.   Malignant Aura certainly knows their craft—when your car slides on the ice, you steer into the skid. With “ Where All of Worth …” is concerned, the skid is the depth of unfathomable death and darkness The atmosphere of this album is incredible.  It is bleak and cold without sounding distant—if anything, this album is constantly right in your face, gnawing and hacking away. But the atmosphere is mired in a slithering, stalking blackness that wraps around the soul like a coiled snake crushing its prey.  The album is “just” five songs, th...

  Giant is a doom metal band from Australia, who formed in 2017.  Their latest album, “ Beneath The Mountains ,” is their second full-length album. Giant ’s sound has obvious stoner influences, especially in the bass where the fuzz flows like a river of blood.  The leads are a bit psychedelic too, which adds a very cool flavor to the songs. With that being said, “ Beneath The Mountains ,” is far heavier than most stoner doom I’ve heard (and therein lies the appeal for me).  I really, really like the vocals—death growls and screams, which make this stand out amongst the seemingly endless parade of stoner doom.  But like with any good doom album, this one is all about the power of the might riff.  Riffs, riffs, and more riffs!  Between the guitars’ crushing tone and the powerful fuzz of the bass, this album is heavy in a very special and intense way. The production certainly helps with this:  the album has that hazy stoner feels mixed with the grit ...

Sad Whisperings is a death/doom band from Netherlands, who formed back in 1992. They hit the doom scene with their 1992 self-titled demo. The following year they released their full-length debut “ Sensitive To Autumn .” After releasing a string of demos, a compilation and an EP, the band has finally returned with their second full-length album “The Hermit.” Doom isn’t always known for its energy but I’ll be damned if “ The Hermit ,” isn’t highly energetic and infectious as hell. Alexander ’s vocals are deep and rough but he can still be understood—very much so reminds me of the Vader vocalist. He and fellow guitarist Jurgen really do a great job with making such dark and heavy songs also vibrant and catchy. There are a lot of sweet sweet riffs on this album and soaring leads, alongside striking melodies. While firmly planted in doom metal, the band isn’t afraid to mix things up and lean heavily into their death metal side. Chris and Aad , drums and bass respectively, are a ...

TarLung is a stoner/sludge/doom metal band from Austria, who formed in 2013. Their latest album, “ Axis Mundi ,” is their fourth full-length album; they have also released one EP and a split album. This is my first experience with the band. I want to thank them for sending me the promo because they just gained a new fan. The band’s brand of doom definitely has a stoner vibe, particularly in many of the riffs. Their often abrasive approach lets their sludge influence shine through as well.  It is a curious and interesting album because it kept me guessing at times as to where the songs were going to go. The opening song, “ Static Noise ,” is a prime example of this. The intro to the song has a hard rock feel to it but with the slow build up of doom. As the seconds tick by, the drums kick in and then the groove ramps up. At the 1:37 mark, the sludge/doom gets turned up about 10,000 notches. Philipp and Clemen ’s abilities to wield the power of the riff is compelling! I ...

Brethren of Sadness is a funeral doom band, from the ever-prolific John Suffering .  As he did with An Tormah , musician Anthony Copertino Jr . joins him.  “Eulogy Beneath Eternal Shadows ,” is their debut full-length album. This is a low, slow funeral doom album that crawls by at a glacial pacing.  I like the pacing/speed because the band has more than enough time to let these songs unfurl in a natural way.  Simply put, there isn’t a second wasted across the album's 5 song, 39-minute runtime.   Suffering’s vocals are extremely low—almost like he has a mouth full of gravel while he growls.  They aren’t just low but also abrasive, like the low hanging claws of some monstrous form scraping across the floor as it stalks its prey.  He also belts out some goddamn harrowing blackened wails at times too. Musically, it is riff based with a Gothic atmosphere, especially where the melodic guitar leads are concerned.  It’s an interesting pair, as the s...

Cryoxyd is a French death metal band who formed in 2000.   “ This World We Live In… ” is their full-length debut, having also released a few demos over the years.    Much has been said elsewhere about how they have a familiar vibe to Death and Pestilence , so I’m not going to dive too much into that other than to say those comparisons are familiar. While this album’s atmosphere and style would definitely sound just find in the early to mid 90’s era of technical death metal, I find they very much have their own thing going and fit just fine into the modern era of the genre too. This is the kind of technical death metal I like:  virtuosic performances and solos that will cave in your mind-hole but it isn’t overly flashy or all ‘widdly wham’ like so many other tech bands sound. The production and mix echo the past as well—it doesn’t have that cold, sterile that permeates much of the current tech death scene.  It actually sounds quite warm in places, especially...