Doomed For Metal Reviews

Earthen is a doom metal band from San Antonio, Texas. They are new to the scene and " Unrelenting " is their full length debut album.  The album's title is absolutely what this album is about. The band's nature is more of an old school doom/metal sound so it isn't very aggressive. However, it is very, very, very heavy. This band is a three piece and they are more dense and weighty than bands with double the members. However, the riffs are what makes the album so unrelenting. A band can be heavy without actual riffs.  This band has actual, true to form riffs and they just don't stop. The rhythm section is also extremely potent---the bass is fuzzed out to the extreme and the drums are crisp and ultra tight. They are a powerhouse of a trio and really fill up the sound----not one second on this album is wasted. Some of my favorite moments across the album happen when Raul plays a solo. Because he is the lone guitarist, vocalist Aaron backs him up with...

Job For A Cowboy is an extreme metal band from Glendale, Arizona who formed in 2003.  " Moon Healer " is their fifth full length album and their first in a decade.  They have also released a demo, two EPs, a split, and a live album. The band's beginnings can be traced to a more deathcore oriented sound but it has progressed over the years to death metal, incorporating plenty of elements along the lines of tech and progressive structures. Ten years is a long time to be gone but sole remaining original member Jonny Davy hasn't missed a beat.  But the underground has changed, brining with that change a plethora of amazing death metal bands that were, no doubt, influenced by JFAC .  So do Davy and the gang have what it takes to compete in this brave new hell? Hell yes they do. First, I want to praise the production/mix.  Absolutely outstanding.  I suppose it could be argued that it's too clean to capture the raw immensity that death metal so often brings with...

Lake Of Depression is a funeral doom/death metal band from Panama, who formed in 2005.  Their latest, “ To Become Nothing ,” is their seventh overall release.  They have also released a demo, three splits, and two full lengths.  I have reviewed their two full lengths for Metal Temple and both of them received high praise from me.  “ To Become Nothing ,” might be a much shorter experience but that experience is just as rich and potent as anything they have done.  This EP consists of two songs and both are of representative high quality of where the genre stands in this modern age.  The production and mix is very well balanced, allowing for the classic gloomy sound so often found in the genre but gives the instruments, and the liminal spaces between them, plenty of breathing room. “ To Become Nothing ,” is the first song, and an interesting one at that.  The first few, precious moments are quiet but low tones, clean instrumentation that keeps the spirit...

Hand Of Kalliach is a folk metal band from Scotland that formed in 2020.  “ Corryvreckan ,” is their second full length album; they have also released two EPs. According to their Facebook page, they are labeled as atmospheric Celtic melodic death metal…and I would say that is a pretty dead on description of their sound.  The album is absolutely dripping in atmosphere.  But it also has a very dense, solid sound that is built around riffs and growls.  Combining their death metal side with their folk tendencies results in “ Corryvreckan ” being a rather heavy release but one that has a cinematic, adventurous sound. This album is definitely heavier than a lot of folk metal but diverse and dynamic enough to capture the attention of even those who may scoff at the idea of the genre being this intense. The production of the album is spot on and very near perfect for what I’m looking for in this style of metal.  The guitars and bass have a very rich, solid tone and it ...

Shallow Waters is a metal band from Spain, who formed in 2018.  “ All Colours Blur Into One ,” is their second full length album.   I reviewed their debut album, “Bed of Snakes ,” back in 2018.  With everything that has happened since then (both in the world and to me personally), that feels like a lifetime ago.  However, the album stuck with me and I still play it on occasion.   I waited (somewhat) patiently for their next album and the underground has finally been graced with “ All Colours Blur Into One .”  Much like their debut album, this is a highly infectious mixture of doom, post, and black metal.  It’s also extremely catchy with many wonderful moments of melodic depth.  Once again, the band has crafted an album that will require multiple listens because, well, it’s so damn good.  As expected with the types of styles they bring to the table, the album definitely has a melancholic feel that can fully expand outward in present...

Angmodnes is a funeral death/doom metal band from the Netherlands.  "Rot of the Soul " is their full-length debut album, although they did release an EP, " The Weight of Eternity " in 2022.  I was a pretty big fan of that EP and have been anxious to see what they could do with a full-length.   What they did is released a very accomplished 55-minute dirge consisting of five heavy and depressing, but enthralling, epic songs. " Rot of Soul " is an apt name for the album.  The atmosphere reeks of a complete loss of hope, down to the very rotting of the soul just before it falls away to nothingness. However, with that being said, the overall style of the album isn't necessarily suffocating, at least not in the traditional sense. The songs play across huge expanses of derelict sonic fields and contain a lot of details and massive moments. In that essence, the songs are free flowing and open as far, as structure goes. But the music? The vocals? The atmospher...

Shades Of Deep Water is a one-man death/doom metal band band from Finland, crafted by J.H. ( In Depths of Winter , Sarajah ). The project/band came together in 2006 and "Cold Heart" is the fourth full-length album.   In addition, three demos, three EPs, two compilations and a split album have also been released.   In the tried and true but never boring Finnish tradition, these songs are as depressing as deep winter and twice as cold as ice. Funereal in nature, the dismal atmosphere is brought to life by deep, somber guitar tones and melodies. " Cold Heart " embraces the project's style like never before, diving deep into the frigid waters offered by the five songs and forty minute runtime. The aforementioned melody isn't upbeat or uplifting---this isn't your Gothenburg style of melody.  The ones contained within these dirges are dismal and strikingly forlorn.  They crash against the wall of riffs, both blended seamlessly within the songs yet also v...

Hulder is a one-woman black metal band currently located in Washington, though she is originally from Belguim.  Her newest album, " Verses In Oath " is the project's second full length album; three demos, two EPs, on comp and a live album have always been released. " Verses In Oath " is an incredibly well rounded album with a variety of moods and styles presented within it's 40 minute runtime. Of course, being black metal, the sound is, overall, vicious, raw and cold.   But despite having no issues embracing the black metal ways of the old, Hulder isn't afraid to put her on spin on a tried and true sound.  The overall atmosphere of the album has a 'warm' sound too it, everything enveloped within a cocoon of very tight songwriting. The album's flow is also impressive and doesn't have any real moments where it doesn't know what it wants or where it needs to go.  From beginning to end, Hulder lays down her blackened tapestry and it fits ...

Mourning Dawn is an extreme doom metal band who formed in 2092. “ The Foam of Despair ” is their sixth full length album but they have also released two demos, two EPs, and two splits. 2022 and 2023 were both exceptional years for the doom genre and any reservations of 2024 offering a trifecta of perfection have been laid to rest because “ The Foam of Despair ,” is starting the genre off a masterful high note.  “ The Foam of Despai r” is an exceptionally well crafted album.  It has the strong hallmarks of black metal and doom but it doesn’t sound like anything else that is out right now.  As of the time of this writing, this is my most played album and for good reason. The atmosphere is truly special, highlighted by the stellar production and mixing from Déhà which lets every detail shine through.  The album sounds very exciting and fresh, even after many, many listens.   The band welcomes non-traditional elements and makes them work even if they normally ...