Doomed For Metal Reviews

Mirror of Deception is a doom metal band from Germany that formed in 1990. Their latest album, “ Transience ,” is their sixth full-length.  They have also released three demos, four splits, two EPs and a compilation. I wasn't familiar with the band before they sent me this promo—I have no idea how I missed them but after “ Transience ,” I definitely won't ever let them fall off my radar. Everything about “ Transience ,” is tight and focused. From the vocals to the songwriting itself, this album has been crafted well with a lot of standout moments. My favorite thing about this album is how melancholic and sullen it is, while still being one of the catchiest doom metal albums I've heard so far this year. They are labeled as traditional doom metal and so many bands of this style bring the doom but tend to not be very melancholic. But Mirror of Deception does it well on this album, effectively taking the huge riffs and clean vocals of traditional doom and adding in Gothic flav...

Grain of Pain is a doom metal band from Finland, who hit the scene with their full-length debut album “ The Moon Lights the Way ,” in 2024.  Two years later, they strike back with their second full-length album “ Behind Us All .” From my understanding, this band is actually a solo project from musician Timo Solonen but the album also features some other incredible musicians:  Lars Eikind ( Before The Dawn , Dawn of Solace , MyGrain , among many others), Juho Räihä ( Swallow The Sun , Before The Dawn, Gloria Morti ),and Juuso Raatikainen ( Swallow The Sun , Hedonihil ).   Additionally, Pekka Olkkonen ( Stam1na ) offers a guest guitar solo and Eemeli Bodde ( Decapitated , Mors Subita ) along with Kirsten Jørgensen ( Evig Natt ) offer vocal spots. Fans of Swallow The Sun and Dawn of Solace will especially find “ Behind Us All,” a very good listen.  Other than having doom in common, I don’t think Grain of Pain sounds like the aforementioned bands per say but they s...

Graveborn 's “ Metempsychosis ,” is an interesting album. The progressive death metal influences are obvious but it is also infused with deathcore. This is their fifth album; they have also released a demo and an EP. The result is a prog album that sounds slick and modern, forgoing stuffy and pretentious elements that hit hard and fast while still being free flowing. Breakdowns are plenty but unlike a lot of other deathcore bands, the songs aren't centered around them but are just another tool they can pull from to pieces the songs together.  Opening song “ Embers of Existence ,” shows how quickly the band can create urgency and also how quickly transition to tight, heavy riffs while layering them with infectious melodies. The chorus is a banger too, I love the melodic guitar and double bass hitting at the same time to showcase two different approaches that work together for the song. The slow to mid tempo at the halfway point is just as engaging; Graveborn doesn't always...

Hanging Garden is a melodic death/doom/Gothic metal band from Finland, who formed in 2004. I discovered them with their “ Into The Good Night ,” album when I reviewed it during my tenure at Metal Temple—and I’m very excited to be able to review their latest, and ninth overall, full-length album, “ Isle of Bliss ,” on this blog.  “Isle of Bliss ,” sounds amazing, both in terms of songwriting and production. The album’s overall sound is loud and full, packing quite the punch during the heavier moments and providing a bottomless depth during the melodic ones. The vocals are particularly well produced—the growls and screams are visceral and the cleans shine through with emotional clarity.  " Isle of Bliss ,” continues the trend of what any Hanging Garden fan knows: the band does what they want and each album sounds a little different than before. Although rooted in doom and Gothic metal, this album isn’t afraid to explore faster tempos or more nuanced soundscapes. Across t...

Perhaps one of the coolest collabs I’ve heard, funeral doom metal bands Pantheïst and Dauðaró have teamed up to release this massive album titled “Af holdi og malmi,” a concept album exploring the philosophical tension between humanity and artificial intelligence.   If you don’t know who the legendary Pantheïst are, then do you even like doom metal? They have been putting out some of the most expansive and intelligent doom for a long time now and, thankfully, show zero signs of slowing down. Dauðaró is one of my favorite modern doom metal bands and the one-man project has been steadily building his own legend with a butt load of great albums behind him.   What I like about this album is that it is, for the most part, SLOW. I know doom doesn’t have to move at glacial speed but the best kind does. This collaboration feels like a love letter to both the styles of each band and for funeral doom, in general. If this style is your jam then prepare to dive into qui...

Prophets of Thwaites is a doom metal band, based in Friesland/Groningen, formed in 2024. After a demo and a couple of live studio recordings, the band is ready to drop their debut EP “ Vulnerant omnes ultima necat .” The album’s title translates “All things wound but the last kills” which, in turn, is a reminder of our mortality–each passing hour brings us closer to death. Hell, even the band's name is a sign of our never ending march off a long cliff: the band takes its moniker from the melting Thwaites Glacier—a sign of never being able to turn back damage. But even as your body continues to crumble to dust as your mind collapses into madness, I think you should still spare 14 minutes of your impending doom to check out this short but sweet (well, not really sweet since this is doom after all) EP. It is always quantity not quality--and these Prophets definitely bring the quality. The band plays a dynamic sound on the two songs. There are definitely elements of psych and stoner ...

  Alkhemi is a black metal band from France, who are releasing their second full-length album “Häxen.”  The album’s sound incorporates a lot of melodic and atmospheric elements but in a very smart way.  These elements expand the album into an epic sound that remains rooted in the cold, frightening side of black metal.  In essence, the melody/atmosphere highlights and exposes the raw nerves of the band’s sound without compromising an inch of what makes black metal so powerful and dangerous.  There are a lot of layers to this darkness and I have found “ Häxen ,” to be an album that gets better and better every time I listen to it.  It isn’t necessarily a complicated or convoluted album, but it does have a lot of depth, so it is rife with wonderful discoveries, and each listen feels like a different journey.  The production/mix is exactly how I like my black metal.  It has a raw feel to it without actually being raw but it's certainly dense and rough...