Doomed For Metal Reviews

Cancervo is a doom metal band from Italy who formed in 2020.  “ III ” is, well, their third full-length album.  According to their metallum page, Monte Cancervo is a mountain near Bergamo.  With that in mind, I have to say they could not have picked a better name for their band because, simply put, “ III ” definitely weighs as much as a mountain. The band’s style includes psychedelic and stoner elements, both of which blend into a massive wall of sound that is quite towering.  Stoner doom isn’t always known to be heavier than the universe but “III” begs to differ— Cancervo have definitely released one of the heaviest albums I have heard in this first quarter of the year. The fuzz on the bass alone is heavier than even many extreme metal albums I’ve heard this year.  The production helps with this; it sounds great but just raw and DIY enough to give the album a dark, occult feel.  Honestly, the album is a little scary. The album opens with an intro which is ...

Civerous is a death metal band from Los Angeles, California who formed in 2019. “ Maze Envy ” is their second full-length album.  They have been prolific, having also released two demos, a split, one compilation, and a live album.   “ Maze Envy ” is one of the most diverse death metal albums I’ve heard this year.  Their sound is pure evil, dark, and there isn’t an ounce of light that penetrates.  In their march forward to conquer these bleak sonic landscapes, the band also incorporates black metal, doom.  Their use of clean instrumentation, keys and approach to using dismal melodies adds more layers to this towering album. In essence, it does a little bit of everything but, most importantly, the album remains focused throughout its seven track, forty-two minute runtime. The album begins with instrumental intro, “The Azure Eye ,” which lays a disturbing and horrific tone with its unnerving use of keys. The instrument fades out just as the first proper song, ...

Hamferð is a melodic death doom band that formed in 2008. “Men Gu​ð​s hond er sterk ” is their full-length album. They have also releases two EPs. This album hits pretty damn to be so melodic. For every atmospheric passage or melodic note, there is a monstrous riff or the lead heavy dropping of the bass guitar. The drumming is intricate and dances around the lighter parts perfectly but turns devilishly ferocious when the need rises. Vocalist Jón Aldará (also from Barren Earth ), brings the pain with some of the best extreme vocals I've heard this year. He is just as talented with cleans, which continue to be one of the more unique styles in the scene. “ Ábær ,” begins the album, with a very urgent and immediate sound. The guitar tone is deep but sharp—each note, each riff is deadly.  The drums perfectly complimented the soaring clean vocals before the band doubles down on a heavier passage. The last half of the song is a murky doom but it's also surprisingly vibrant. “ Marr...

Mastiff is a doom/sludge band from the UK who formed in 2013. “ Deprecipice ” is their fourth full-length album, they have also released two EPs, a demo, and a live album. “ Deprecipice ” is an album that truly blends doom, sludge and hardcore. A lot of so-called sludge bands are just ultra-abrasive doom. There isn't anything wrong with that but it seems most have forgotten that true sludge combines doom metal and hardcore. Mastiff definitely understands this and have nailed down a true doom/sludge style. “ Bite Radius ” opens with fast paced, hardcore influences that are just straight up vicious. Jim Hodge 's vocals are insane—he sounds like his throat is going to fall out of his body at any moment.  Guitarists Phil and James suddenly switch gears and go for a melodic/Gothic doom passage. It is a surprisingly effective moment of atmospheric tinged mood but comes off in a smooth, natural way. Daniel and Michael , bass and drums respectively, are equally as adept at switching b...

Ornamentos Del Miedo is a one man doom metal band from Spain who formed in 2017.  The musician behind the project, Ángel , is behind a myriad of projects but “ Escapando a través de la tierra ” marks his fifth full-length album under this moniker.  Ornamentos Del Miedo has also released two EPs. The music can best be described as funeral doom in nature but it is often melodic and highly atmospheric.  Considering funeral doom isn’t always known for its dynamics, “ Escapando a través de la tierra ,” is a surprisingly well rounded album that doesn’t have a dull moment on it.   It only has six songs but it runs over an hour. If you're thinking this is overkill then think again. This is doom. And this is doom that flows extremely well for the song lengths.  What I enjoy about this album specifically, and the band in general, is that even when it is melodic and/or Gothic, it always sounds immensely heavy. This is, in part, due to the vocals which are so against...

Sonata Arctica are a metal band from Finland who formed in 1999.  Their style fits firmly into power metal but has progressive elements as well.  Their latest album, “ Clear Cold Beyond ,” is their 11th studio album.   Sonata Arctica will always have a special place in my metal heart.  After I finally grew out of my hard rock/nu-metal phase in my younger years, SA were one of the first real metal bands I discovered. I could never even begin to guess how many times I listened to their first four albums—I would be surprised if those CDs still worked, that were so worn out by me. But as I dived deeper into power metal, and other genres, the band fell by the wayside and I stopped keeping up with them after "Unia", which I found to be a solid album but not quite up the level of the previous four.  I dived back into them years later and caught up on the three albums I missed:  " The Days of Grays ”, “ Stones Grow Her Name ”, and “ Pariah’s Child ”.   ...

Sl imelord is a UK-based extreme metal band that formed in 2019. “ Chytridiomycosis Relinquished ” is their full-length debut album, in addition to having released three EPs and a live album.   This is one disgusting and twisted album that mixes in death, doom and some truly tripped out experiences. It is as weird and unique as it is heavy and against-the-grain. So many bands try to appeal to the masses by producing safe, watered down metal but Slimelord refuses to have any of that. Even the subject matter is quite a bit different, though it is of an important nature...the disease known as Chytridiomycosis, which has caused a decline of 501 amphibian species by making it impossible to regulate water absorbtion. This gruesome disease needs a gruesome album and that is what the band delivers. “ The Beckoning Bell ,” begins with a short build up before a rising lead guitar notes call forth a brutal death growls. The song lurches into a doom dirge but the drums and bass keep the...

Grey Skies Fallen are a metal band from New York, New York who formed in 1997.  Their latest album, “ Molded By Broken Hands ,” is their sixth full-length album; they have also released a demo, two EPs, and a compilation.   The band’s overall sound is definitely doom metal but they are rather dynamic and have several different approaches to the genre, including melodic death, and even some progressive elements.  I’m a newer fan to the band, having not discovered them until a couple years ago when I discovered another amazing doom metal band named DRIFT INTO BLACK , a project from GSF ’s former keyboardist CRAIG ROSSI .  GSF immediately impressed me with their melancholic and melodic take on doom.   All their albums are of the same high level quality so it’s hard to say if this one is their best, only because the others are so great.  With that being said, “ Molded By Broken Hands ,” has been one of my most played albums since I received the prom...

Blazar is a death/sludge doom band from Spain who formed in 2017. “Fatal Cosmic Wound ” is their full-length debut album; they have also released an EP and two splits. This is certainly one of the bleakest and nastiest albums I've heard so far this year.  The music is darker than black, as if some sort of tear was opened in space but nothing much the unending void of death spilled out into the cosmos. The music is slow and monolithic, brutal in ways that are hard to explain. The riffs are, of course, crushing–whether it is a low rumble or a sweltering static that hangs in the air, the guitars create quite the sweltering atmosphere. The bass is like its own separate entity such are its monstrous tones. Music this slow requires drumming that is engaging but also needs to remain a stalwart foundation to hold up all this massive music.  Their drummer, B.C., handles all this with apparent ease. The clean parts of the music offer no respite as they are a bridge that connects all thi...