White Mare is a death/doom metal band from Switzerland/Netherlands that formed in 2019. "Isle Of Bliss" is their debut full length album. And what a a debut it is! This is the kind of doom that I crave: long songs, ultra slow, and full of the kind of dismal atmosphere that would make a funeral seem festive by comparison.
Elements other than death metal also include a blackened sound, particular with some of the higher pitched growls/screams.As previously stated, the music is at a crawling pace but it never lulls and is made infinitly interesting by the tone and vibe of each of the songs. Lush, layered textures permeate throughout the album, the songs having no true form. I actually really love this aspect because it gives the album an wide open, fluid feel. When it comes to doom, this helps offset the lack of speed or intensity.
The album opens with "No Isle Of Bliss,'' and that long note that holds until clean textures arrive signify the bleak properties the song offers for the twelve minutes of its journey. I love this kind of music so the long build up didn't bother me and, if anything, it grabbed my attention because I wanted to see how the song continues to unfold. It unraveled itself like the birth of some dark universe: beginning with ambient noises and creating something sinister yet full of life as the pieces are fit together.
Around the two and a half minute mark, the crushing guitar and vocals finally arrive---their abrasiveness goes well with the more languishing elements of the music. The bass is very audible and can go from dense to melodic when it needs to, controlling the ebb and flow of the song while also working with the drums as a strong foundation for all this crushing weight.
"Time, The Devourer," is one of my favorites on the album. The keys that creating a sorrow coated shroud in the beginning seconds are simple but so stark and commanding. This song is more immediate, the vocals more present and vicious. The guitars are also more riff based but they play alongside the rest of the band for a super thick layer of doom. Clean vocals, which are filtered and far away as if it reaching across another plane of existence, are both well placed and well done. Around the seven minute mark, the band speeds things up ever so slightly with just enough of a slow groove to add to the song's blossoming flow.
"Les Oiseaux De Proie," fills up the space nicely, with clean guitar notes and heavier aspect quickly merging together. The keyboards are very clever, small drops of atmosphere that drip across this massive canvas. The blackened death vocals are especially terrifying but help push the song into a melodc/gothic section that is just beautiful in its own dark way.
The song's mid section is also very moving, what with the keys and guitars vocals providing a contrast to each other yet both still go along with the essence of the song. The tragic, ambient atmosphere that comes later perfectly sets up the rest of the song as well.
The band returns to more riff based waters with "To Reset At Last," and the moment the song begins, guitars set up a funeral tapestry of bleak art. The riffs are hammer heavy and provide the perfect back drop for the extreme vocals, which gives way to the rising action of the song. The last couple minutes mix all these songs plus clean vocals together for a strong finish.
The final track is "The White Mares' Procession," and the song is about as depressing as the title would suggest. The first two and a half minutes or so is build up of simple but darkly melodic tones. When the full sound comes in, the song becomes one of the more denser ones on the album---just encompassing and fills up the space around me until I was totally absorbed by the song.
All in all, this is a strikingly great debut album from a band that already has a strong grasp on the style of music they want to play. Anyone who enjoys music with great depth and even greater blackness needs to get on this one. One of the best doom album's I've heard in this style this year.
No comments:
Post a Comment