Doomed For Metal Reviews

The Icelandic one man blackened death funeral doom project Dauðaró has released its most  potent, and perhaps best, album with " Kyrrþey ."   I have reviewed several other Dauðaró releases before and have always found its sound to be as varied and dynamic as it is extreme and abrasive.   None of Dauðaró's releases have been afraid to take a more unconventional approach to extreme doom while still keeping it abyssal and unfathomably dark.    However, " Kyrrþey ," is definitely the most straight up funeral doom album that has been released.  The atmosphere is truly oppressive, the music conjuring images of dark skies that only grow darker.  A nearly permeable draft of iced death blows through the three long songs, chilling down to my bones. Musically it is masterfully written and devilishly deceptive.  It crawls along at such a slow tempo that someone with an untrained ear to the art that is doom might wrongfully perceive it as simple musi...

Forever Falling is a death/doom band that has been active since 2020.  The group is of international origins, with vocalist John Suffering ( Chalice of Suffering , Solemn Echoes ) being from the United States and Tullio Carleo ( Gods of Sadness , Voyage Noir ) from Italy. Their first album, “ Suspended Over The Immanent ,” received high praise from me—-this second full-length album " The Determinism of Essence in Matter “ shows clear progression and the band taking their sound to the next level.  " The Determinism of Essence in Matter ”  has six tracks, two less than their debut.  However, it is a little longer so the misery has been prolonged through the use of longer structures, including the eleven minute epic “ The Wind of Remembrance .” Doom fans obviously won’t mind the longer songs/album but even those who have a less than focused attention span won’t have an issue absorbing the music.  The six tragedies that make up the album are smartly constructed ...

Suton is a doom/black metal band from Bosnia and Herzegovina who formed in 2014.  Although they released a split album in 2016, ' Sacrilegious ' is their full length debut.  The band's style is definitely black metal based but it also includes so much more than that. A very strong mix of doom metal is also presented here and it really works amazing with their sound.  The riffs are dark, grimy, and extremely thick.  But they have the acidic tone of black metal and just enough melody to tie it all together. While every instrumental aspect of the album is strong, a special mention must go to the rhythm section.  The bass is magnificent and, thankfully, the well crafted production/mixing job, allows it to shine through the guitars.  The drums are consistently engaging and did a fine job of pulling my ears around to different parts of the song that I might have other wise missed. The vocals are varied and present a well rounded range of styles.  Blackened r...

Dhishti is a black metal band from Sri Lanka who formed in 2019; ' Life Is Suffering ' is their third full length album.  I am actually surprised about how dynamic this album is.  The band's sound is certainly rooted in DSBM and it is, overall, quite tragic and sullen.   However, the band does add a lot of variety to their sound and it makes for a very engaging listen. The ethnic sounds of ' Kannalaua ' open the album, setting the stage for the listener to experience the full depressive fallout of the first full length song, ' Marnashruti .'  I really enjoy the melodic riffs that open the song; throughout the rest of the album, the band certainly displays a knack for weaving their depressive style with delicious melodies and slower tempos that remain catchy. The vocals alternate between insane shrieks and desperate shouts, a perfect vehicle to deliver the band's brand of blackened sorrow.  The lead guitar on this song is quite vibrant; never taking cente...

There were so many great albums released this year, doom metal or otherwise. However, with doom metal being my favorite genre, I decided to focus on just bands that fell under the range of its vast umbrella. With the exception of the number one pick, these are not in any particular order. There were many, many albums I wanted to add here but time contraints meant I had to, very painfully, bring it down to just thirty. KATARA by Aeonian Sorrow Pale Existence by Ocean Of Grief Sculpting From Time by Asphodelus Echoes of Yore by Lord of Shadows My Veneration by Patriarchs In Black Aegis by LURK Evergloom by THORN Funeral Altar Epiphanies by TEMPLE OF SCORN Interstellar Nomad by Astronomie Ingress by Hibernaut Sickness Particles Gleam by Seraphic Entombment Galgendood by GATEWAY Dissolve Into Ash 2023 by Dusk Ardwena by Hyde The Season Came Undone by My Lament Reign of the Reaper by Sor...

The one man Iceland based funeral doom band  Dauðaró returns with another incredible release.  " Ylur " is one 47 minute long song that unfolds in a very special way. The story behind the album's inspiration is nothing short of amazing.  Basically,  Dauðaró saw the eruption of a volcano, an incredible event he witnessed from the balcony of his own home.  To create music like this on the spur of the moment is nothing short of amazing in of itself. Obviously the artist himself and even other fans might interrupt this different.  But the beauty of music, especially the sprawling, emotive doom of  Dauðaró , is that it can be different things to different people.  When I listen to this album, I can hear two perspectives.  Obviously one is of the musician but another is the volcano itself.   During the Bandcamp listening session he conducted for this album's release, he did say he was never in any real danger from the volcano.  Be th...