Doomed For Metal Reviews

I’ve been a fan of Faded Remembrance since their debut but have never reviewed any of their albums before so I’m honored to review their third full-length album, “ The Blessing of Downfall .” This is the album I’ve always wanted them to make, too.  Their previous two efforts, while no doubt solid, sounded so similar to Paradise Lost that if I hadn’t known who it was, I would have assumed I was listening to some sort of compilation of lost Paradise Lost songs.  “ The Blessing of Downfall ,” finally sees the one-man project of Tamás Albert finding its own sound while still honoring the influences.  Though those influences are worn on his sleeves, Mr. Albert’s outfit is all his own. So, what’s changed?  What has made this album different from the others?  Why has it grabbed me so much?  It’s because the songs are really fleshed out and fully formed. Each one has a lot of ideas and takes a methodical yet smooth approach to making sure that not only is it engag...

  Angellore is a Gothic doom/death metal band from France, who formed in 2007.  Their latest album, “ Nocturnes ,” is their fourth full-length album; they have also released two demos, two EPs, a split album and a compilation. I discovered this awesome band when I stumbled across their previous album, “ Rien ne devait mourir ,” around the time of its release in 2020.  It’s been a long six years or so but “ Nocturnes ,” doesn’t disappoint.  One aspect of Angellore I’ve always enjoyed is that they are heavy but not aggressive.  Between their usage of death girls, double bass, and a casket filled to the brim with riffs, they still retain this melodic sense of being regal that has always been part of their charm. Throw in flute, oboe, bass clarinet, cello and piano on top of all that and what Angellore has delivered with this album is a Gothic doom opus of towering might.   “ Nocturnes ,” five songs that are all unique but fit together perfectly.  ...

Welcome to the first interview I've ever done for this blog!  I can't think of a better band to do it with than Sad Whisperings !  This legendary doom metal band recently returned with a great new album called " The Hermit ." I sat down with the band’s mastermind, guitarist & vocalist Alexander van Leeuwen .  Actually, I did it through email but let’s pretend it was highly professional.  At the end of the interview, I will talk a bit about the band’s history and offer links to their pages.  Please check them out if you don’t know them, especially if you’re a doom metal fan.   So, I’ll get the two most obvious questions out of the way: Why was the band gone for so long and what inspired the return? We were gone, simply ‘cause things didn't work out at the time...no shows etc etc. What inspired us was that at once we were featured in a book ( Streams of ancient wisdom by Steve Willems ) about the scene in Holland and Belgium with a chapter and Vic R...

Oldowan Gash is a one-man black metal band from Los Angeles, California, that formed in 2016 by musician The Forlorn Spirit ( Ablazen Winds , Baphomancia, Desert Eagle ).   His latest release under this moniker, “1000 Dreams of War,” is the second full-length album; two EPs, a demo, and a compilation have also been released. Guest musician Longinus provides the drums.  There is a raw, profane energy to this album that cannot be ignored, or denied.  From the opening second to the final scream, this is a black metal album that is pure hellfire and fury.  But it isn’t just endless tremolo riffs and incoherent madness that is raw for the sake of it.  The anger, the hate, the aggression…it’s controlled with a surprisingly dedicated precision and is a musical weapon brought up from the underground as a living, breathing creature.  The songwriting is something to behold.  Each song has a lot of different part and pieces, varying degrees of extremity formed t...

Medussa is an instrumental band from Santander, Spain.  Their latest release, “ Mueran Las Ideas ,” is their fourth full-length album.   Medusa and “ Mueran Las Ideas ,’ have a sound that is hard to pin down—this could fit under the categories of rock and post to metal and prog, perhaps even doom and atmospheric. Their brand of music is very fluid, and it isn’t easy to tell what will happen next.  With that being said, none of the songs are disjointed or jarring.  The band plays with incredible synergy and offers a very natural and smooth sound, no matter where it leads to.  I’m going to speak about a few of my favorite songs on the album, but every song is a journey unto itself.  The album opens with “ Palabras ,” and I think that is a good choice for the introduction—and a great song for new fans (such as myself) of the band to start with. It begins clean and dreamy, like a post-morning daze after waking up.  As the fog begins to clear, a dee...

Archaic Oath is a black metal band from Belgium, who formed just last year and are already dropping their full-length debut album, “ Determined to Death and Beyond .”  And what a debut it is.  Considering the pedigree involved, however, it isn’t really a surprise.  The band is actually a duo composed of Lykormas ( Rituals of the Dead Hand , Hemelbestormer ) playing all the instruments and Arneriach ( Marche Funèbre,   Hail Spirit Noir ) on vocals.  The album’s overall sound is riff based but offers up a lot of melodic moments and a cold as ice atmosphere.  It’s far catchier that black metal usually is without being so melodic and atmospheric that it feels floaty or stretched too thin–the tone of the instruments a real meaty tone to them and there is more than enough speed and aggression to balance out its lighter moments.  I do like how open the songs are too.  There is more than enough room to hold the often simple but majestic keys, killer gu...

In Ruins is a Romanian death/doom band that formed in 2021; their latest release, “ We Are All to Perish ,” is their full-length debut; they released their debut EP, “ Ruthless Portrait ," in 2022.  I’ve said this before, but I really like when a band knows who they are and what they want.  In Ruins clearly knows it's a death/doom band and they want to play some nasty, grimy shit.  As of the time of this writing, this is definitely up there for one of my favorite extreme doom metal albums of the first half of 2026.   The mix of tortuous emotions and a sense of finality are very potent across the album’s 4 song, 43-minute runtime. But that’s a relatively short runtime for a doom metal album so, as one can imagine, there is no filler here.  Every painstakingly slow note, every smattering of drums, every bass line, every growl all leads to the bigger picture.    This is music to get lost into.  This isn’t background music you put on when yo...