Shores Of Null - The Loss of Beauty

Shores Of Null is a melodic death/doom band from Rome, Italy. They formed in 2013 and 'The Loss of Beauty' is their fourth full length album. 

This album was actually recorded back when their previous album, ‘Beyond The Shores (On Death And Dying)', was recorded between 2019 and 2020.  It was initially going to be their third full length but 'Beyond…' was chosen to be released first, as it better reflected the trying times of the pandemic.

'The Loss of Beauty' brings the band back to offering individuals songs and is much more melodic and dynamic than 'Beyond..' but the same melancholic sorrow still defines their sound.

The instrumental portion of the songs find that sweet spot between downtrodden doom and mid paced melodeath.  But sprinkled throughout the album are blackened elements and it gives the music just the right amount of edge. 

The drums and bass are one hell of foundation. They know exactly when to take a more melodic approach or take aggressive avenues. With either direction they go, it works. 

Davide Straccione's vocals are insanely good—he is one beast of a vocalist. This guy improves with each album and it fucking nails it on this one. A throaty yell, sorrow fills croon, death growls or blackened scream…the range and dynamics of his voice are truly special. 

The album opens with 'Transitory,' and it is a nice little intro that sets up the atmosphere well and leads into the first proper track 'Destination Woe.'

As with all the songs, the doom is strong but the urgency is also high---not a feeling usually gained with doom but the band pulls it off. The clean vocal passages are catchy, as is the melodic mid section. The growls and beautiful lead guitar work tie it all together.

'The Last Flower,' spent weeks in my head. The different vocal approaches and the flow of the music just had me hitting the repeat button dozens of times. I love how the song's tempo goes from doom to faster speeds at the drop of a hat without compromising the atmosphere. 

'Old Scars,' is another banger with urgent music and a blanket of doom laying on top of gloomy but still pretty melodies. The music and death growls work in tandem to keep the urgency flowing but that mid portion where Davide sings his ass off while the guitars work their magic nearly drove me to tears.  

'My Darkest Years,' is perhaps one of the most perfect songs I've heard from the band. It represents the themes and ideas of this album but also gives a stellar overview of the band's song. If someone unfamiliar with the band asked me to play a Shores song, it would probably be this one. The balance between vocal styles  spot on as are the gloom and doom laced melodies. 

'A New Death Is Born finishes the album strongly, the drums ramping up the energy early on to give the opening moments a hook ready to dig into your head. The main riff has a decent groove and rolls the song straight into the death growls. 

Their are moments of blackend speed and screams that sent shivers down my spine while seamlessly blending in with the doomier parts 

Shores of Null improves their craft in every way possible with 'The Loss of Beauty.'  Their songwriting is impeccable because it does something that other bands either struggle against or don't even try: create sorrowful, melonchlic doom that is also crackles and pops with catchy melodies and choruses.

Mesmur - Chthonic

MESMUR is a funeral doom band, of international origins, that formed in 2013. Their latest album, 'Chthonic' is their fourth full length album. The bookend tracks are fine on their own if listening to the album straight through (which is recommended)  but as a piecemeal basis, they aren't the meat and potatoes like the three tracks in between. With that being said, 'Chthonic (Prelude)' is a decent intro that flows into the first proper track without missing a beat. The outro 'Chthonic (Coda)’ flows out from the previous track just as well and serves as a more introspective respite from the doom carnage that precedes it.

'Refraction,' begins with the barest of morose melodies just touching upon the incredible heaviness that are the guitars. The track is slow moving and never gets any faster—which is great. This song, and album as a whole, is almost like a love letter to funeral doom because everything about the genre is done incredibly well. This is good if you like the genre but if not…oh well, your loss. As the song lumbers ever forward, details of small changes, of these different shades of black make their presence known. It might be subtle keys, a change in  a melody or even the turn of a drum pattern…this song is so well composed that not only does it warrant repeated listens but new discoveries are made each time.

'Petroglyph' opens with clean and ambient textures that are chilling and even alien to a degree. These notes carry on alongside the doom, giving the song a duality of crushing heaviness among twisted landscapes.  Around the midpoint of the song, these elements are pushed away in favor of Gothic elements before coming back to the more unnerving ones.  This is all done seamlessly and the flow of the song is never compromised nor muddled.  The overall atmosphere of this song is more foreboding and sinister than ‘Refraction’ and I do appreciate the band doesn’t make the entire album sound the same.  It may not seem like it at first but stick with it and this album will show its variety and different approaches within its funeral doom sound.

I found ‘Passage’ to be the most aggressive on the album.  Not only does it start more immediately but the guitar tone is something ancient and archaic. Still, it does weave in melody in a serpentine way and there is a brief quiet moment before the second half of the song begins where clean but cold tones attempt to wash away what came before but doesn’t want to hold back what is ahead.  Within the last five minutes or so, the music changes from gothic textures to loud, corrosive funeral doom that ends the song in a surprisingly explosive way.

MESMUR’s ‘Chthonic’ is an engaging funeral doom album that hits all the sweet spots for the genre and with more than enough depth and detail to give reasons to return.

Woe Unto Me - Along The Meandering Ordeals, Reshape the Pivot of Harmony

WOE UNTO ME is a doom metal band from Belarus who formed in 2007. 'Along the Meandering Ordeals, Reshape the Pivot of Harmony' is their third full length album. I suppose the best sub genre to put them into would be funeral doom. However, I don't think calling them gives the full idea of what they truly bring to the table for doom. Although no doubt a dark, heavy and depressing band, their sound is much more expansive and varied  than the average funeral doom band. In some ways, their sound is progressive in how far they are willing to stretch themselves. 'Along…' is all doom and gloom but it isn't all cavernous—the album has an open sound that is very exploratory without forgetting the roots of the genre.

The album opens with 'Mired Down in the Innermost Thicket," and it is a solid indicator of the album's overall style and vibe. As expected it is a slow build up that features spoken word as the song gets more loud as the minutes tick by. Soon, deep death growls permeate the soundscape over a melancholic and melodic riff. Subtle keys add icing to this multi layered doom temple. WOE UNTO ME is a band that doesn't do anything in half measures and their song writing reflects that notion. As the song moves forward, the riffs get thicker, taking on a more sweltering vibe. The clean vocals glide along with ease, backed by the powerful bass and drums. After a melodic but atmospheric guitar solo, the song winds down with more death growls.

The next track is 'Spiral-Shaped Hopewreck,' which is also from their EP of the same name that was released in 2021. The EP was basically one long song with 'Spiral….' as the main attraction. I'm glad they put the song on this release as it remains one of their best but I was initially worried how it would fit into it. Those worries thankfully proved to be a waste of time as it finds a solid home on the album. The song begins with ominous tones and spacey sounds. The main riff provides a stellar backing to the clean vocals. Ambient textures are sprinkled throughout the verses and gentle keys touch upon their edges. The bass keeps it all together during the quiet parts as does the clever drumming.

As the riffs get faster and heavier, the clean vocals get more expressive before killer death growls pile on mountains of heaviness. 'Deep Beneath The Burden' is lush with atmospheric layers and a huge wall of sound.  The song is very much like a living being that breathes in and out, represented by the many elements of light and dark that play off against each other yet firmly work together for the benefit of the song's flow. The midpoint is cinematic doom that leads into a brief respite before the death growls swirl into the music and become one giant beast.

'Blood-Black Nothingness Stops Spinning,' has a mysterious feel but one riddled with curiosity. This is another one of the band's best songs. I love the beautiful solo and acoustics in the beginning. Afterwards, the song is just steeped in pitiful darkness, earning them their funeral doom style. The keys are wonderful—cold yet engaging. The light and dark elements of their sound are melded perfectly here—-this song feels as big as the universe if you jam it with headphones. 'The Great Waste Of Withered Pipedreams,' is as heavy as a black hole. The opening minutes are just…..an endless bleakness. The music is nearly inconceivable in its slow tempo and it is all complimented by growls so low they don't seem human. Touches of the faint and ethereal mix with the layers for a sound that seems endlessly deep.

All in all, WOE UNTO ME have released their best album, one that has found its place amongst the better doom albums in this first quarter of 2023.