Doomed For Metal Reviews

Soliloquium's sixth full-length, "Upheaval," is about to be released in the world.  In addition to writing a review that you can read here ,  I also recently spoke with Soliloquium's mastermind Stefan Nordström about everything from walking the world, to recording, and even the fallacies of life.   You travel a lot it seems. Is this wanderlust something you have always had? Has it shaped your songwriting? If so, in what ways? Do you find ideas come easier when left alone your own thoughts or does traveling and being a part of the world make it easier? It was actually quite the opposite when I was younger. I didn't start thinking about large-scale traveling or solo traveling until my mid 20's or so. But I think the feeling of not fitting in or an ordinary lifestyle not being for me always was present – I just didn't know how to deal with it. The experiences absolutely shape my creative side. Without the encounters, variation and struggle I'd have less t...

Soliloquium is a doom metal band from Stockholm, Sweden who formed in 2011, and is the brainchild of musician Stefan Nordström ( Ashes of Life , The Ashen Tree , Ending Quest , Desolator , Trees of Daymare ).  Their latest release, “ Upheaval ,” is the sixth full-length album; a demo, two EPs and a compilation have also been released. I discovered Soliloquium back in 2918 when I reviewed their second full-length album “ Contemplations ,” for Metal Temple.  I was immediately hooked by their brand of emotional doom metal, which is quite dynamic and hits a variety of styles.  I’ve followed them since and the quality always remains high.  With that being said, I am confident in proclaiming “ Upheaval ,” to be the best album since “ Contemplations .”  Despite the band’s core sound belonging to doom, they don’t languish in tired repetition or long drawn on compositions that go nowhere.  The album itself starts immediately with the riffs of the opening song “ T...

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...