Gvorn - Keeper Of Grief (2022)

Gvorn is a Russian death/doom band who formed in 2015. "Keeper Of Grief" is their full length debut----and a strong one at that The album's overall sound is dark, hopeless and melancholic but also heavy with a thick sound that permeates everything. Of course, the band leans heavily on these elements but they also feature a lot of clean guitar. it adds a varied approach to their sound and mixes smoothly into the heavier, distortion laden moments effectively.

 As expected, the overall tempo is slow to mid paced but never plodding---each note, each step brings the songs to building the next picture. With that being said, the album is peppered with melody---not over done but laid on in a bare way to give the songs just enough sorrow without over powering the songs .

The opening track is "Sounds From The Crypt," and gives a good idea as to what to expect from the rest of the album. It opens with baroque instrumentation and clean keys---a nice effect that transitions well to the suffocating bass lines and powerful, deep drums. It all swirls together as clean guitar is added to the mix. At this point, the song is already hypnotic but it goes into full gear when the thick guitars and death growls kick in. About halfway thru, the song settles in with a chunky riff and relentless double bass as the song doubles down on this hellish doom. The song's end is a wonderfully melodic passage that has a lot of weight and heart behind it. The next song, "Demons In Me Laugh" continues the melodic theme but more sorrowful. The clean keys accent the music in a simple but effective way.

 As the song moves ever forward, the song takes on a slow doom burn with ultra thick groove and deep growls that chill the bone. The rest of the song flows very naturally from the point; the pacing of slow but steady allows each note to move on from the next, creating a sequence that keeps the song moving.

"Sea Of Trees," is one of the best on the album---the melodies that lie just in front of the riffs give the song an otherworldy atmosphere. The vocals are brutal, barely containd within the power energy that erupts from the growls.

The later half of the song is beautiful what with the clean keys backing up the blanket of riffs and bass. The last couple of minutes pours on the melancholy for a bittersweet end.

"Pass Of The Dead" has a somber but baroque beginning that becomes clean and sprawling acting as a perfect intro. 

The song builds up a low rumble as it travels through a musical atmosphere that could be the soundtrack for the end of the world.The middle portion of the song is clean but the dark tones of what came before remain.

The final, and title track, is an instrumental. While it sounds good enough on its own, it does feel misplaced at the end of the album. I think it would be more effective kicking off the album instead of ending it.

Ultimately, "Keeper of Grief" is a great album of long form doom that is never boring. This album will make my year end best of list.