Doomed For Metal Reviews

Mother of Graves is a melodic death/doom metal band from Indianapolis, Indiana that formed in 2019.  Their latest album, “ The Light That Keeps Us ,” is their third full-length album; they have also released an EP.  I’ve been following this band since that debut EP, “In Somber Dreams,” and knew they were something special.  Every album is its own reward, and each release has been better than the last.  So how does “ The Light That Keeps Us ” fair?  Like I said: better than the last album.  That’s saying something.   For those unfamiliar with this band (a shame that you should rectify immediately), they play a dense but highly infectious and melancholic brand of death doom.  The suffocating riffs and rhythm is laced with melodic hooks but in a macabre, Gothic way.  It’s dark and bleak, no doubt, but there is also a resilience and, daresay, hope to be found with the band’s labyrinth of decay.  At the very least, “ The Light That Keep...

Shores of Null is an Italian doom metal band who formed in 2013.  Their latest release, “ Homesick ,” is their fifth full-length album; they have also released a live album and a split.  The latter, " Latitudes of Sorrow ," was a release I also reviewed—you can check that out HERE . I’ve been following this band since my days at Metal Temple, when I reviewed 2020’s “ Beyond the Shores (On Death and Dying) .”  Most recently, they released a split album last year with another stalwart of the modern doom scene, Convocation .  Shores of Null ’s sound on that album was probably their most destructive and horrific—whether they did it to match Convocation ’s own brand of doom or not, I didn’t expect them to continue that path on their next full-length album.   Instead, “ Homesick ,” is the next logical step coming off their previous full-length album, the amazing “ The Loss of Beauty .”  That’s a good thing because, at the time, I thought that album was thei...

  Dromos is a funeral doom metal band from London, England who formed in 2019.  Their latest release, “ Failing Light ,” is their full-length debut; they have also released an EP. This album is a tight exploration of funeral doom while representing the best parts of the genre.  With ‘just’ three songs and a runtime of 46 minutes, it’s a lot more palpable than many albums within the genre.  I think of the reason why funeral doom is underappreciated, even amongst underground metal fans, is that sometimes the genre dives too far into its own sound—it can’t get out of its own way.  For fans of the style, such as myself, there isn’t anything wrong with that.  But for new fans to the genre, it can be a problem.  Although for me and others it is something we crave, I can still see how a sprawling, 30-minute song with 7 minutes of ambient noise or the same riff for 10 minutes could be off-putting for those who aren’t familiar with the style. That’s why I want ...

Arckanum is a one-man Swedish black metal band that formed in 1992 by musician and author  Shamaatae .  His latest album, “ Beswærilsin ,” is the project’s 10th full-length album, in addition to also having released numerous EPs, demos, splits and compilations. Some albums take a minute to latch on; others are noticeable from the get-go that they have potential.  Still, every now and then, an album is immediately enjoyable—-soon as I press play, I know for a fact the album will be worth my time.  Arckanum’ s “ Beswærilsin ,” is one of these albums.  The atmosphere, and I can’t really explain this per say, matches the cover art and it pulled me in from the opening spoken word and tribal-like beats of the opening song, “ Mz Fianda Raþi .” The production and mix make the album even better.  It’s foggy and mysterious, ancient and arcane, without sounding dated or muted.  The vocals are great and pierce through the veil to lead these 11 compositions deeper...

Halter is a death/doom band from Yaroslavl, Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia who formed in 2009.  Their latest release, “ Another Strong Hand For a Damned Land ,” is their fourth full-length album; they have also released an EP.  This is my first experience with this band but I’m walking away completely crushed by one of the heaviest straight up death/doom albums I’ve heard in this second half of the year.  Although it obviously has a despondent atmosphere (it’s doom!) with a keen sense of melody when needed (although not necessarily a melodic album, per say), this is a more riff and rhythm-based take on the genre. There are not long, atmospheric passages or minimalist ambience.  The album, thankfully, also lacks intros, outros, and pointless interludes which seem to plague music more and more these days.  This is seven complete, full songs that offer up death doom and then leave.  Nothing more, nothing less.  The runtime is just under forty minutes—the perfec...

Discouraged are a death/doom band from Germany who formed in 2024.  Their latest release, “A Farewell in Stages ,” is their full-length debut; they have also released a demo This album completely pulls off one of my favorite styles of all time:  melodic death/doom.  Beyond that, it isn’t just melodic–the melodies are typically completely fused with their more aggressive aspects, so it truly feels like death/doom that is melodic rather than melodic death/doom.  There is a difference and if you know, you know.     But there is a stark minimalist quality peppered throughout the album, in the form of clean instrumentation and tones.  These are used very smartly, always there to move the songs forward and heighten the atmosphere just enough without losing any of their primal potency. The vocals are utterly mesmerizing and fantastic:  deep/mid-range growls and screams that still have incredible inflections and are able to show off their own...

Ethereal Rot is an extreme metal band from Portland, Maine who formed in 2019.  This self-titled album is their full-length debut; they have also released two EPs.  Metallum describes their genre as ‘blackened technical death metal.”  That’s a mouthful and a lot to digest but honestly, it is a pretty accurate description.  I might even say it is progressive, as well.  The dynamics are insane, not only across the album as a whole but also within each individual song.   From one moment to the next, the band keeps you guessing as to what direction the next note might lead to.  With that being said, 6-song, 40-minute runtime flows very smoothly especially when considering how many details the band crams into every little nook and cranny.  There isn’t one second wasted and every moment has a purpose.  To that point, it is an adventurous album with a ton of energy but, at the same time, it is highly focused.  No matter what the songs may bri...