Doomed For Metal Reviews

In Vespro is a Roman, Italy based melodic death/doom band.  I couldn’t find much information about them online so I’m not sure when they formed but “ Where Silence Used to Sleep ,” is their debut album.  It features members of Svart Vinter , Veil of Conspiracy , and Handful of Hate .  That’s a damn fine pedigree right there so I was expecting this album to be worthy of my time (and yours) before I even pushed played. I was not disappointed.  If anything, my expectations were exceeded.  Their sound is very longing and full yearning.  I’m definitely getting 90’s melodic/Gothic death doom vibes from “Where Silence Used to Sleep” and that’s nothing but a good thing.   The melodies really speak for themselves, but I’ll do my best to speak on them.  These textures aren’t Gothenburg melodic nor are they from the 00’s metalcore scene, where the songs tried their best to be heavy yet came off sounding like discount MDM bands a lot of the time. No, th...

Grim Legion is a death metal band from Manalapan, New Jersey, United States who formed in 1988 and went on a hiatus in 1991; they reformed in 2011 and have been active since.  Their latest album, “ Harbingers of Death ,” is their second full-length album; they have also released four demos, an EP and a compilation.   Grim Legion features Evoken alumni Randy Cavanaugh and John Paradiso on guitars, Condition Critical 's  Ryan Donato on drums, and ex- Fate Array musicians Devlin Bane on vocals, guitar and Marakus Misery on bass.    Based on those musicians and their history, I would have been a total dumbass to expect this to be anything less than bone crushing.  While I am still stupid, I expected this to be exactly what it provides:  monstrous old school death metal that’s as cold as the grave and unforgiving as death.  The production isn’t exactly what I would call raw but it’s definitely rough, in a way that an album of this nature n...

  Auszaat is a metal band from Salzburg ,  Austria who formed in 2019.  Their latest album, “ Trümmerethik ,” is their second full-length album. According to their Bandcamp page, the band describes their sound as “blackened whatever,” and that pretty much nails it on the head as to what I experienced on this unique and engaging album.  The production and mix on this album are perfectly suited for music contained within—music that is as mysterious and disturbing as it is intense and violent. Every little detail, of which there are many, can be heard through the album’s atmosphere.   The band’s use of clean notes is extremely important to the album, oftentimes being used to set the song up for the more intense moments.  But on their own, they are great little dimensions of unnerving notes, serving up a fresh perspective that contrasts while complimenting the heavier parts of the songs. The base of the album’s sound may be black metal, but it doesn’t ge...

I don’t review a lot of power metal on my blog.  It isn’t because I don’t like it–in fact, I love it.  In my younger days, it was one of the genres I got heavily into first.  The problem, however, is that it is such a bloated genre.  Always has been and probably always be; for every good power metal band, I come across 30 that gargle my balls.  But when it is good, it is good.   Tomorrow ’s Outlook and their third full-length album, “ Black Waves ,” album is a rock-solid power metal album that captures everything about the genre that made it appeal to me in the first place.  Vocalist Tony " Thunder " Johannessen has a fantastic voice.  He isn’t overly falsetto nor does he sound like a cornball or yet another ripoff of Dickinson or Halford.   The rest of the band is on point with songs that focus on killer riffs in a more traditional aspect and sweet, sweet guitar solos.  I like that the music isn’t overly epic or filled with po...

Undercroft is a death metal band from Chile, who formed in 1991.  Their latest album, “ The Killer Sword ,” is their ninth full-length album; they have also released four demos, two compilations, a live album and a boxed set.   That’s a lot of music!  To my shame, I’ve never heard of this band before I was sent the promo for “T h e Killer Sword .”  How has this band escaped my radar over the years?  I’ll have to stop kicking myself long enough to dive into their back catalog because if it's even half as good as this album, then I need to hear more of what they offer. “ The Killer Sword ,” is, by far, the catchiest extreme metal album I’ve heard so far this year.  I don’t mean they have clean, poppy choruses, or a sound so modern that it was born in a deathcore pit.  This is straight up 100% death metal that ticks off the boxes.   More importantly, it has riffs FOR DAYS.  For centuries.  I can’t even count the number of brutal...

Ilienses Tree is a death/doom metal band Italy, who formed in 2013. Their latest release, “ Toward the Storm ,” is their second full-length album; they have also released two demos. “ Toward the Storm ,” is a melodic album with a lot of catchy harmonies and melodies throughout its 5 songs, 39-minute runtime.  I like this dynamic because it allows the music to be very fluid, with a lot of space to play around within.  This album isn’t simply made of songs that are low, slow, and cavernous but instead atmospheric, emotional, and even Gothic.  The band isn’t afraid to strip back the essence of their sound in favor of clean moments that, while lacking the obvious punch from the distorted passages, fill the air with moments of emotive clarity that offer a different viewpoint even while acting as a fantastic bridge to more adventurous avenues.  The mid-passage of “ To Not Be Forgotten ,” births from a caustic moment of screams and riffs but offers a respite.  The clea...

Gli Alberi (Italian for “ The Trees ”) is a metal band from Turin, who formed in 2012.  Their latest release, “ Maturafine ,” is their third full-length album.    This is my first experience with this band, but it has been a fantastic surprise and pleasure to experience this album!   Their sound blends several genres together, pieced and threaded together by some of the best dynamics I’ve heard in a while.   The vocals alone have more variety than most albums.  Cleans, both male and female, blend seamlessly with the more extreme side of the genre.  Every vocal line, every word is just drenched in emotive textures and performances that really feel genuine.   Having these different vocals really works in favor of the storytelling, especially since the album is a concept album about deserts.  That’s a unique premise, in and of itself.  I’m paraphrasing the band here quite a bit but basically the album takes the concept of a dese...