Earthen - Unrelenting

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 tremendous bass. These moments are monumental and prove that not every band needs a second guitarist. But the band is at their best when they deliver all out jam sessions---like a stampede of ravenous raptors going in for the kill with never tiring attacks.

The album begins with "Black Swordsman," and clean tones, which are clearly well on their way to building up towards the riff attack at the 42 second mark.  Despite how brazen and monstrous the riffs are, the song smooths very smoothly.  This is indicative of the album as a whole, making it a very easy and entertaining listen.  

The five tracks and their forty minute runtime will breeze by.  This is definitely an album that can be jammed over and over again.  The clean vocals are what is expected of this style and they definitely work.  There are rougher style vocals here and there which also do a lot for the band.  Nothing is every forced and the different vocal styles arrive when needed.

Case in point, around the halfway point in this song, the band throws out the doom jams and then rougher vocals appear and make the moment all the more better.  The solo near the end is short but clever, with Aaron backing up the notes perfectly.

As it slides back into the riff mountain, Juan's drums bring it all home again--this guy is a beast on the kit, very subtle with a different sort of intensity.

"Purgatory" has a ripping opening, fuzz drenched bass crackling and popping its way through my headphones.  Here the band throws in some groove, a little swampy and smokey.  I like the vocals here, totally compliments the music.  The music sort of glides along until the mid section when the riffs/bass drop like hammers---a slow, crushing moment that threatened to cave in my head.  The shouting vocals that follow are just what the song needed before breaking into a movement features muddy riffs flowing in between some solos.

The bass drops the fuzz and goes for pure lead for the opening of "Submersion of the World Underwater."  The drums are particularly great, heard and heavy but not overbearing, much like the music and album as a whole.  The rhythm of the vocals are very catchy and transition effortlessly to a type of rough clean grow.  The vocals work great against the low, heavy riffs that suddenly speed up.  The drums rampage and build up the excitement before the water breaks.  This one of my favorite songs on the album because the music is on a constant high.

"Suffer More," is one of the heaviest on the album--a very dark song that is almost cavernous and much more "brutal" than many bands of this style can do.  I like it low, slow, and hard....this song is gives me that in spades.  If someone asked me for an example of doom metal, I could do much worse than offering this track up as an example.

The slow yet melodic solo just after the halfway point is another highlight for the song---very hazy and sets up the riff attack that delivers the song to another great solo.

The final song is 'Exhumed'  and it is a banger.  The first moment is bold and thick has a tree trunk.  The music speeds up a bit to match the extremity of the vocals---a very good performance here and I hope he continues to balance his smooth cleans with this other style because it is very commanding.  

This song is nearly twelve minutes in length but you'll never realize it because every note, every moment, is exactly where it needs to be.

All in all, Earthen have released a very strong debut album with "Unrelenting" and I am very excited to see where they go from here.  Any fans of heavy metal, doom, or just heavy music in general will definitely need to add this to their list.  An early highlight for the year. 

Job For A Cowboy - Moon Healer

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 it.  However, there is a lot going on in this album.  In that respect, I think the album sounds exactly how it should: bright, clear, and crisp.  This allows this busy album to showcase every small detail and capture all the nooks and crannies it has to offer.  It's hard to complain about such pristine production when the bass pops out so well and the drums sound as clear as day.  

Of course, without the songwriting to back it up, the production doesn't matter.  A great album can get by with half-assed production values but the reverse never works.  Fortunately, the band is firing on all cylinders.  Longtime guitarist Alan Glassman and Tony Sannicandro present a very dynamic performance that is on constant flux from technical flourishes to progressive passages.  Nick Schendzielos and Naven Koperweis, on bass and drums respectfully, are just the rhythm powerhouse needed because they can hold down the foundation and low end while also being very adaptive. 

And Jonny Davy?  His vocals show no sign of aging as he gives one hell of a performance.   His brutal voice is also intelligible, giving it a venomous snarl and a lot of commanding attention.

"Beyond The Chemical Doorway," opens the album with clean tones that are already well on their way to the drop at at 30 seconds in.  The bass dances around the riffs as Davy growls his ass off.  The music is caught somewhere between a powerhouse technical display and progressive tendencies.  The song still has plenty of room for good ol fashioned headbanging as evident of it's mid section.  The later half is represented by a surprisingly emotive solo, trippy bass and chonky riffs.

By the time this song is over, one thing is evident: the band doesn't waste time and use every available second.  The songs are somewhat shorter in length for this style, and the album is a tight 39 minutes in length, but that allows the band to display their clever songwriting without being stagnant or over stuffed.  There is a lot of process across the album but it never feels overwhelming or like its too much.

"Etched In Oblivion" is an immediate banger with the drums being particularly potent.  In it's faster moments, the song sounds surreal.  The way the lead guitar kicks off the music into speedier moments that, in turn, break off into more expansive sections is a testament to the band's ability to think ahead and perceive exactly what the song needs.

"The Sun Gave Me Ashes So I Sought Out the Moon," is one of the best songs on the album.  The fury and cadence of the vocal assault is actually rather catchy and grabbed my attention immediately.  The frantic music lends the song an urgent feel until the drop at 1:49, which propels the song into utterly devastating territory.  The wild solo pulls the song out of the section and pushes it into a riff based movement until the song's end.

"A Sorrow-Filled Moon," has a slow, mysterious atmosphere in the beginning.  The tempo is mid-paced here and the song really embraces it---this song is a banger with optimal flow that works with the varying tempos.  Davy's higher pitched death screams in the middle are fantastic just before the solo, where the entire band is on a downhill momentum. 

The final track, "The Forever Rot," ends the album on a high-note. Dark, clean tones lead by the bass open the song before it gives way to the almighty riff. This song represents everything the band wanted to achieve on this album and is a good overview of the album as a whole.  The ending moments from 4:45 onward are cleverly written, a brief clean passage that evolves into a trip to another dimension.

Job For A Cowboy were gone for a long time but "Moon Healer" proves they never really went away and their songwriting chops have stayed in fine form.  It is also an album that paves the way for their future as it will bring them many new fans while satisfying the old ones. 

Lake Of Depression - To Become Nothing

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  of the genre alive with its moody tones.  As the seconds tick by, drums and bass enter the fray as the instrumentation becomes more involved.  Spoken word arrives at this point, adding a Gothic feel to the atmosphere. 

Melodic guitar arrives next as the clean instrumentation gives way to glorious funeral doom.  The death vocals are deep and harrowing—they contrast against the guitar yet the two work so well together that one could not exist without the other.  The synergy among the elements of this EP is nothing short of amazing. 

I really enjoyed the Gothic style guitar solo about halfway through the song.  It seamlessly blends into the very depressive movement that pushes the song back into heavier waters around the 4:49 mark.

“Entre Sombras,” begins in a much more immediate way.  The bass is massive and digs deep under the earth to pull up these ultra heavy tones.   The guitars are magical, casting out somber melodies that mix with the bass to create a heavy atmosphere that is also very memorable.  About a quarter of the way through an ambient section bridges the gap between the two heavier halves—a very wonderful moment that works so well for the song. 

The song’s ending is monumental—-deep growls, rich guitar tones and pulsating bass carry the song to the darkest of reaches and bleakest of ends.  

I can’t wait for another full-length but this two song EP has a lot of replay value and is a definite must listen for fans of funeral or extreme doom. 

Hand Of Kalliach - Corryvreckan

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 is captured perfectly.  The folk, and especially the more ethereal parts, courtesy of Sophia, stand out against the rough grain of the metal just fine and have no problems being heard.

What I appreciate the most about the album is how melancholic, dark and serious it is.  A lot of folk metal bands spend time talking about beer and have too many goofy or overly melodic moments.  “Corryvreckan” is melodic when it needs to be, it is folky, but it’s just as opposite of that when it needs to be as well.  

The lyrics/subject matter center around a witch named Cailleach (hence the band’s name), who is an ancient god of winter in Scottish Celtic mythology.  She lives at the bottom of the Corryvreckan (hence the album title), a whirlpool.  

There is more to the legend that I won’t spoil for you but I found the subject matter to be very interesting and the witch, which is thought of as both malevolent and benevolent, is reflected in the music very well.  This album can be gentle as a stream or as dangerous as a, well, whirlpool.  

The album opens with “Three Seas,” a song that brings about a stormy atmosphere with the gentle undertones of Sophia’s amazing voice.  The song has a steady build up, the rumbling of that storm as it moves inward.  By the 2:15 mark it is a full blown hurricane, complete with John’s thunderous death growls.  Both he and Sophia showcase excellent vocal abilities in their styles.  Sophia’s bass guides the songs well, her playing fitting into the album’s much needed variety of styles and moods.  John plays the other instruments—this husband and wife duo really know their craft.  

The later half of the song has a lot going on: keys, riffs, growls, and pounding drums but it never sounds messy or convoluted.  This can be applied to the album as a whole, it always unfurls in a very organic and organized fashion despite all the different elements required to make it work. 

“Dìoghaltas,” begins in a much more vicious way, with John going straight for the throat with both his vocals and his instruments.  Sophia’s own bass is massive, providing an insanely strong rhythm while still adding so much to the atmosphere.  Her vocals arrive moments later—haunting, evoking the arcane and the mysterious.  

Folk infused metal doesn’t always need long buildups or stretched out structures,  as evident by “Deathless,” which hits as hard as anything I’ve heard this year.  I love Sophia’s vocals riding on top of the ridiculously heavy riffs….it just works and it works well. I love the riffs after the 2:04 mark and just how intense the song gets.  The atmosphere grows very dense before giving a brief respite….only to return to a true banger of an ending. 

“Unbroken You Remain” is one of the best songs on the album and really represents what this album is all about.  The beauty and beast that is nature and its guardians is reflected within this song which goes from cut throating to beautiful and back again in just over four minutes.

The final song is “Of Twilight and the Pyre” and it is perhaps my favorite.  The clean intro is gorgeous and Sophia’s voice sounds so far away, like some sort of ghostly being just beyond a veil. The keys are imaginative and sent me to a place far away yet somewhat familiar.  When John joins the fray, the two distinct moods join as one force.  Both get ample breathing room, creating a song that is as deep as the ocean.

Hand Of Kalliach’s “Corryvreckan” is quite a surprise to help begin the year of 2024.  It has been a long time since I cared about most folk metal but this album has definitely rekindled my love for it.  No matter what subgenre you call it, “Corryvreckan” is one badass slice of metal and a definitely highlight for the month of January. 

Shallow Waters - All Colours Blur Into One

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 presentation of everything from clean instrumentation to heavier-than-lead metal, alternating between slower tempos and more vicious movements.

The vocals are just as dynamic as the sullen music.  Screams, growls and cleans are all well represented here and vocalist Pablo Egido knows just what to say and what style to say it in. 

Guitarists Tristán Iñiguez and Andoni Barquero offer up their own sizable performances, their riffs often riding the line between doom and post.  They weave many memorable melodies that are both beautiful and arresting, becoming a wall of sound but without any static or clutter…their notes always shine through.

Rober Garcia and Morten Akerburu, playing drums and bass respectively, are one of the best rhythm sections I’ve heard this year.  Rober’s drums compliment the songs, no matter what path they are taking, which is a testament to his ability to adapt to any situation.  Morten’s bass provides the band with a heavy sound during the song’s lighter moments but he is equally at home presenting more melodic moments when called upon.  

The album opens with “Bearer of Bitter Sorrow,” which has a few seconds of building up before exploding.  The riffs are thick and groovy, somber melodies dancing upon them.  The drums rage alongside, providing the needed precision. The vocals bark out in blackened screams in a catchy cadence.  Does music have any right sounding this good?  Yes, yes it does.

By the halfway mark, the band has settled into a post-doom groove that envelops with a warm sound that seems like it could go on for days.  But all good things must end and the song chooses to do so with a standout clean vocal performance that ends in clean instrumentation.

A lot of metal bands have trouble making the clean portions of their music as engaging as the distorted ones.  For some, it seems the clean instruments are there just to be there, adding dynamics and variety without any real feeling.  Not the case with “A Devious Walk,” and it’s short but beautifully done opening.  But the song embraces many identities, offering some of the heaviest and fastest moments on the album.  A solo in the later half of the song is very moving and perfectly places into the fabric of the song, becoming a part of its very nature rather than being in the spotlight.

And that is the real magic of Shallow Waters and their brand of doom.  Every note, every passage, every vocal line…it is all part of a bigger puzzle.  Because of this, their music always flows so well and truly feels like a band effort rather than one or two members doing all the work.

The album’s halfway point, “Everlasting Shadows,” is one of the best songs the band has done.  The beginning is so clever, with how the drums compliment the playing of the lead guitar.  The song switches back and forth between slower and faster tempos but always grabs the melody and sorrow, pulling it along.  The deep clean vocals are outrageously good but so are the vicious extreme vocals that arrive right after them, showcasing the band’s variety within just a few seconds.  The clean passage near the end, and then it mixing in with the metal, is another magical moment that explains why this band has grabbed me from day one.

The title track is loaded with meaty doom riffs, one of the more dense and darkest songs on the album.  The vocals are menacing as they embrace the music together before another great clean vocal passage. I love the trade off between the two vocal styles on this song.

“11 Stairs To Despair” is one of the catchiest songs on the album.  The beginning is laced with deep cleans and a cadence that makes the song sound like a dismal but epic sea chanty of sorts.  A different style of cleans is featured too and they grab the song’s hooks and run with it.  This track was stuck in my head for days.  No complaints.  The music of the song is a layered tapestry of clean and heavy instrumentation that opens up to more riff based structures near the end as the wonderful extreme wails make their appearance. 

The final track is “Blown By The Winds,” and while it lacks the heavy and extreme intentions of the previous songs, I can’t think of a better way to end it.  It may be light on distortion but it’s just as heavy in its own away, low clean tones permeating their way around the lead guitar and clean vocals. The guitar work is just pure emotion and quite moving.

With “All Colours Blur To One,” Shallow Waters have proven themselves a force to be reckoned with and their debut wasn’t just a fluke–this band is here to stay and they are going to build one hell of a discography.  There isn’t a ‘sophomore slump’ ---this is an album that managed to better than even their masterful debut.  This captures the sound and magic of their first album while pushing their sound forward.  A perfect album in my opinion. 

Angmodnes - Rot of the Soul

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 atmosphere? Down trodden to the core. “Beneath” is immediately soul crushing. The chants and clean vocals are eerie and reaches a chilling zenith when the absolute crushing waves of distortion laden hit like being suffocated with a lead blanket.

The growls are harrowing and among the best I've heard in some time. The lead guitar lays down funeral-like melodies on top, capping another layer upon this pile of lost souls. And how about the clean vocals? Anguished, lost….their own epic poem of tragedy among these sordid musical dirges 

The band isn't afraid to lean into their lighter side,  though it isn't anymore uplifting, such as the intro to “The Hours.” The piano pulls on the heartstrings, proving clean notes can, in a way, be just as heavy as distorted ones. The riffs are melodic yet dour, a slow moving cascade backed by rock solid drumming and bass The middle portion of the song changes the approach with a thunderous bed of double bass and Gothic laced clean vocals.

The album continues with the piano intros for “Agony of the Sun” but it is somehow even more tragic sounding. The song trades the clean tones for total blackened fucking fury. This section is vicious, monstrous and goes for the throat. The drums and bass bring the pain so hard I thought my headphones were going to collapse.

Around three minutes in, the tempo slows at the advent of a huge growl before clean vocals join the fray as well. This part is one of the best moments on the album….I can't decide if the clean or the growls are better because both are so effective. The later half of the song is a slow crawl through hell with just enough melody to make it memorable even while it hurts.

The final two songs are my favorite on the album. “Stagnant” is the epitome of what makes doom metal so good. It's slow yet heavy, tender yet rough. The vocal delivery is dynamic and stayed in my head for days. As the song progresses, so do the levels of punishment offered. The mid portion of the song offers a total eclipse brought on by death doom that casts a shadow over everything. 

The title track is the longest song on the album and it goes for broke. As any good title track should (especially if it ends the album), it is an effective representation of everything the album is about while also standing fully as its own entity. 

The song's opening moments are the doomiest doom to ever doom a doom. The low growls sound like the crunching of gravel, the guitars/bass hit slow and hard, letting the notes hang in the air before dropping another slab. The drums hit hard, focused and keeping the song from collapsing on its own weight.

All this slow carnage leads into a cavernous clean section with spoken word vocals. Afterwards, melodic guitars offer a different shade of grey. The last few minutes of the song are the musical equivalent of being pulled through a black hole.

Angmodnes have released a frightening well structured and dark death doom album that is one of the best highlights so far in this still early year.

Shades Of Deep Water - Cold Heart

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 very telling of their own journey. 

I find the album to be very smartly paced as well.   The title track, "Cold Heart" opens in a very immediate way, eschewing the typical build up so often presented in doom.  There isn't anything wrong with getting to the point and this song does a great job in grabbing me from the very first second.  As I was hooked and reeled in, the song begins to unfurl itself like a winter sun in the dawn hours to revealing its nuances and many details.

The song isn't afraid to mix clean tones and instrumentation among the distortion.  I like this because the songs keep their heavy, doomed laden style while having a bit of regal quality, a refined approach to the ever approaching death. 

"Ice Damn" showcases the album's knack for weaving melodies that, while very much filled with sorrow, still manage to soar to the highest highs.  With the first thirty seconds of this song, I was already treated to an expedition on the sea, seemingly stopped by the formidable ice.  

The song also showcases another album highlight: the ability to be walking a down trodden path but then suddenly hit hard with bruising riffs, such as the change over at around 1:05 mark.  The later half of the song is damn near magical: the keys, riffs, and bass swirl together to create a beautifully dark snow storm infused tapestry.

"The White," spends its moments with quiet, clean tones that are surprisingly gentle.  This instrumental song gives a nice respite by dividing the album down the middle of its track list while also showcasing the album's dynamics and willingness to take risks. 

"The Erebus" is the total opposite, at least musically speaking but it seems to carry on the spirit of the instrumental in tone.  Deep growls push the song every forward, solid drumming dancing among the notes to keep the song flowing smoothly while highlighting the other instruments.  This song has wonderfully composed key structures and melodies that are catchy but is also definitely a bulldozer among the ice. 

"The Terror," is perhaps my favorite song on the album. There is a nervous feeling, a line of trepidation that runs through the permafrost foundation. The death growls/screams are pure emotion--longing, pained and desperate.  

The last few minutes of the song are among the best moments in the band's history.  The bass pops out from behind the melodies so well, stalwart but melodic and every flowing.  The tone of the riffs and the drums keep the whole movement thick and intense as the song rides out towards its end.

Ending an album with an eleven minute instrumental is no easy feat but "The Endless" nails it and then some.  As the title might suggest, the song feels like it could go on forever, every flowing and marching forward like death, the seasons, and so many other sometimes ugly things in life.  

I can't think of a better to way to end the album.  Even without vocals, the song captures everything the album wanted to say but presents in a moving, cinematic experience that is massive in scope

All in all Shades Of Deep Water presents in "Cold Heart" an album that continues to further expand the project's ability to craft well excused death/doom metal through imaginative and dynamic songs. 

Hulder - Verses In Oath

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 snuggly no matter what moves underneath it. 

Clean vocals, synths/keys, folk, and even some death metal elements all find a home here---the dynamics of the songs are always fully embraced without the songs being stretched too thin or wandering aimlessly.  

"An Elegy" opens the album with crows and wind building up into the first proper track, "Boughs Ablaze."

This song begins with straight up fury, escalated by the drums. The keys have a soft but important touch to the background, increasing the atmosphere while lifting the guitars up, which are charred black in tone and groovy.

The later half of the song lets the keys take over and the results are darkly majestic and more than a little haunting.

The title track, "Verses In Oath," explodes into a miasma of deathly violence. The energy and mood is captured and released by the slower riffs in between the much faster movements.  The small details reveal themselves over time, taking a song that seems like it's nothing more than caustic extremity and opening it up to a much wider picture.  The keys and lead guitar are both subtle but also help change the nature of the song.

"An Offering" separates the two halves of the album with a folk laden interlude that is actually interesting and flows seamlessly into "Cast Into The Well Of Remembrance," which is one of my favorite songs on the album.

The slower pace is perfectly complimented by the rolling drums and Hulder's vocal patterns are surprisingly catchy. Around the 1:50 mark, the music repositions itself as a blazing ice storm and transforms into an absolutely searing movement before effortlessly slowing the tempo back down again but bolstered by robust double bass. 

The final song is "Veil Of Penitence," and it is a banger, the only way to end this journey.  The tempo fluctuates throughout the song but along the way the notes form a daring song that captures, and highlights, everything that makes the album so special.

All in all, Hulder's "Verses In Oath" is a black metal album that impresses early in the year but will have no trouble proving it's staying power as the flood of releases grows ever higher.  This is a standout example of how potent and powerful one-person bands can be.  

Mourning Dawn - The Foam of Despair

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 Despair” 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 wouldn’t for most other bands.  The saxophone on “Tomber du temps” is surprisingly stunning—I absolutely cannot stand the sax. But on this song?  Can’t imagine anything else working better.

Industrial elements, especially on “Suzerain” are another element that I normally don’t have much use for but, again……"The Foam of Despair” is an album that is so together that whatever it pulls into it, becomes a formidable and necessary component. 

It isn’t a fast or aggressive album, at least not in the conventional sense.  But each song presents the type of heaviness that is arresting, desperate, and hopeless.  

The vocals are clawing, dying shrieks of blackened pain that reach out for the final pieces of what was once whole.   It’s very much a stark, dark album that is incredibly dense but it’s also open, expansive, and cold as ice.

The guitar tone is absolutely nasty. It is dense yet razor sharp and truly mixes doom and black metal together. The bass and drums together are as heavy as most other bands’ full albums. 

“Blue Pain” showcases some of the album's more melodic moments and, sometimes, the music hints at catchy, rock and roll tempos born from an 80s Gothic sound.

The chorus is catchy too, another surprise on an album that clearly has zero issue in taking ideas, throwing them together, then making them even better out the other side.

One of the highlights is the eleven minute epic, “Borrowed Skin.”  The beginning is made up of drumming that manages to be atmospheric and keys that match their quality as the song moves towards the sinister explosion at the 2:20 mark, complete with desperate and weighty vocals.  

The middle segment of the song features an ambient bridge that reaches across the empty space, grabbing onto the rolling waters of the intense later half.  The song ends with lead guitar and the rumbling of drums, making the song slightly melodic but wholly chaotic.

The album ends with “Midnight Sun,’ which brings back more of the industrial flavor of the band’s sound.  Mixed with doom, it comes off as cold and mechanical, a special sort of unrelenting finality.  

Once again, these are sounds that I never thought would mix together in a positive way, but Mourning Dawn has written “The Foam of Despair” to be an album that embraces a lot of elements while making them their own.