Doomed For Metal Reviews

Short, to the point review:   You know what is wrong with this album?  Absolutely nothing.  Masterpiece.   Long, boring review that only nerds will read: I can't imagine there is anyone who doesn't know Pantheïst at this point but just in case you're a mainstream poser, this band has been churning out funeral doom since the year 2000. 26 years later, the band seems to have a newfound sense of energy on their seventh full-length. “ Uncanny Times ,” is unbelievably good regardless of the band’s age but for a band to be quickly rushing towards the big 30 and still putting out albums of this quality is nothing short of spectacular. Much of the reason this album deserves any and all praise is because of clean vocalist Linda Dumitru . Although she collaborated with the band for their 2024 EP “ Kings Must Die ,” she has since become an official member, and she adds a new dimension to their sound.  She is a professional soprano, and she has one of the most p...

Thronehammer is a doom metal band of international orgions that formed in 2012.  Their latest release, “ Slay, Kill, Erase ,” is their fourth full-length album; they have also released a demo and a split.  I'll be 100% honest: up until I dived into this album, I wasn't overly familiar with Thronehammer . I did enjoy “ Incantation Rites ” but beyond that it has just been a song here and there. I'm dumb. Real dumb. This band should have stayed on my radar. There wasn't any particular reason why they left—just too much music and too little time.  But I'm going to make the time because this album is the balls (compliment). It is very clear that even in my limited experience with them, that “ Slay, Kill, Erase ” is their most aggressive album yet. Everything that I heard from the band has now been expanded upon and amplified tenfold.  The album’s overall sound is deeply rooted in doom metal, no doubt about that.  But I can hear elements of traditional, power, death, ...

Tårfödd is a one-man black metal band from Sweden, the mastermind behind it being Simon Lindgren (also of Grimveil ).  This latest album, “En Känsla Av Hopplöshet ,” is the project/band’s seventh full-length album, in addition to several EPs and a compilation.   The album title translates roughly to “A Feeling of Hopelessness.” The lyrical and concept is focused around loss of someone close to Lindgren. This results in “ En Känsla Av Hopplöshet ,” being very raw in terms of its emotions.  Musically, it is atmospheric and melodic but also visceral and intense. The contrast between these levels of tender pain and roaring intensity make the album have a natural feel to it–this is a very grief ridden but honest album.   I don’t know if I would call this DSBM per say but the atmosphere is obviously haunting and depressing but I also sense quiet moments of clarity throughout.  I find this to be a unique album in the Tårfödd discography because it sounds like th...

Forest Horse is a one-man sludge/doom/stoner metal project from Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Their latest album, “ Botany ,” is their second full-length debut.     “ Botany ,” is a very heavy album and the fuzz just rolls off the notes in waves.  What sounds or what makes a band heavy is obviously a very objective stance but, for me personally, this just might one of the heaviest non-extreme metal albums I’ve heard this year.   The guitars and bass are like a void that just pulls in everything because of pure metal mass.  The drums have a great song, a live feel, and fit perfectly in the mix to offer up a fantastic foundation that’s powerful enough to keep this beast from collapsing in on itself. But “ Botany ,” isn’t just an album noted for its heavy doom/sludge pedigree.  It’s also psychedelic and a bit of a mindfuck, without going overboard.  I don’t do drugs but if I did, I would definitely have this album in the background while rollin...

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...