Anthems Of Isolation - Apocalyptic Portrayals

    Anthems Of Isolation is a death/doom band from Iraq, which is interesting in of itself because I don't know if I've ever heard a band from this country before, much less one in this style. "Apocalyptic Portrayals," is a funeral doom album but it does things a bit different than what other bands usually bring to the genre. The most obvious aspect is the songs are much further than usual. Instead of songs that be fifteen or twenty minute longs, this album focuses on a range that is much shorter, with the longest song being eight and a half minutes long and the shortest just five and a half minutes long. I actually found this to be rather enjoyable because I don't always have the time to jam out to a song that might take ten minutes just to get going, although I certainly do appreciate that style. But this one is something 

    I appreciate equally--after all, funeral doom is a style that doesn't need to be pigeon holed by long song is they aren't needed. Across the 41 minute run time of the album, each song sounds very complete and self contained. By focusing on the overall sound of funeral doom, rather than every little individual element, the band has written an album that is as despondent and heavy as funeral doom but also much more approachable. 

     "Signs Of Cataclysm," opens the album with quiet notes that do a great job in building tension---they don't to spend half a song doing it. The beauty of this band's song writing process is they know just what each song needs to work--nothing more, nothing less. The vocals are on the lower register; they sound like his throat is full of gravel yet he remains intelligible. Very impressive! The song isn't overly complicated but nor is it caveman simple. Instead the ones just flow out naturally, the song acting as a constant naturally extension of itself. The song contains a lot of melody built into the layers between the guitars and bass but this isn't a "happy" melodic but instead a dim glow that only touches the edges of darkness, rather than drive it away. 

     "Wither Divinities," has excellent use of keyboards; they are subtle but are used so well they offer a big presence. A powerful roar accompanies them on the opening of the song. This particular track is one big wall of sound, all the instruments blending together like the destructive winds of a hurricane. The song drops all that for a mid section complete with ambient textures and filtered clean vocals. Around the four minute mark, the doom returns more intense before fading out. The next two tracks make up
"Deep Dark Ocean", parts 1 and 2 respectively. The first part is the shorter of the two and the more atmospheric one. The music is cleaner than the previous tracks with the bulk of the heaviness coming from the vocals, at least in the beginning part. After a brief but well done ambient/melodic mid section, suspense keyboards light up the landscape while the death growls roll over them. It all culminates near the end when the guitars kick into high gear. The second part is over two minutes longer and more distortion based---this one is nearly the opposite of the previous track. I mean, it is still atmospheric but definitely more chaotic as well. The last few minutes are hellish, a suffocating brew of death doom destruction. 

     "As Pazuzu Rises," is an interesting track of melodic, Gothic textures that provide a nice backdrop for the growls, which only seem to get better and more ferocious as the album continues. I like the methodically placed guitar riffs in the second half and the lead guitar which seems to have a life of its own but still feels like it needs to be in the song. 

     The final track is "Darkness At The End Of The Tunnel," is immediately huge in scope. Although not fast by any means, the groove and cadence of this track is paced a little quicker than the previous tracks, making for a rousing ending to the album. The keys, especially in the later half of the song give it a black metal feel to the song but the vocals give it a much needed power boost into raw and bleak territory. Anthems Of Isolation's "Apocalyptic Portrayals," is an uniquely styled funeral doom album that is sure to find a receptive audience. Funeral heads will undoubtedly want to add this to their collection but I think people who normally shy away from some of the genre's more niche elements will find this album enjoyable as well.