Cancervo - III

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 very funeral in nature and the last note on the organ leads perfectly into the first full track, “Sacrilegious Mass.”

The beginning is a sweltering mix of Luka’s bass and Francesco’s guitars. Luka’s vocals come in and add another layer of immense pressure.  His voice is deep, loud, and moves along with the riffs.  Sam’s drums are not unlike a freight train, meaning they are heavy, focused, and just don’t quit.  

Around the 2:22 mark, a guitar solo cuts through the wall of distortion, adding psychedelic notes to the mix which makes the song both heavier and more twisted all at the same time.  A faster solo in the later half of the song actually makes the slow music a little disturbing and adds some urgency while still keeping the tempo doomed.

“Burn Your Child,” opens with a killer riff and well timed drums.  There is something Gothic and messed up with Luka proclaiming “Burn your child,” and then suddenly the song speeds up after a primordial scream.  Is stoner doom supposed to generate horrific images and be unnerving?  Because I like what this band is doing, very against the grain. 

The movement from 5:37 to all the way to the end is a total groove fest, a nonstop banger of a moment.

“St. Barnabas,” is just how doom should be played: slow, dark, and fuzz that vibrates the bones themselves.  The echo on the vocals is a nice effect, just adds to the dismal atmosphere.  Their cadence is chant-like, mysterious and shamanistic which could be said of the album as a whole as well.  The bass is ridiculously heavy after the halfway point, as are the drums.  I liked the final minute and a half of the song a whole lot, the guitars bring in a climax of rising action as the whole band comes together for a very surreal moment.

The final song is “Red Pig,” and it is a monster.  The guitars are as thick as molasses and could probably destroy the mountain of their namesake if the speakers were placed just right.  This is a fitting song to end the album because it offers a very full sound.  

Most impressive is that after spending about three minutes destroying everything, the carnage rests for a minute through a clean interlude section that fits the mood of the song but offers a different perspective.  After this is over, the band seems even more intense—the rest of the song is CRUSHING.

All in all, Cancervo’s “III” is a very solid album because it sounds so different from a lot of stoner/psychedelic doom I've heard this year.   “III” embraces the dark and delivers a very enticing, if wild and petrifying, journey.

Civerous - Maze Envy

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, “Shrouded In Crystals,” begins.  A primordial death scream pierces the backdrop of slow, sweltering riffs.  The bass and drums hold the rhythm and foundation while sending out pulses of darkness that reverberate through the atmosphere. 

The tempo speeds up but the song loses none of its vitriol. Around the 2:25 mark, the band mixes in clean tones among the heavier elements—a truly nasty, psychotic atmosphere is the result.  “Maze Envy” is full of moments like this because the band has a firm grasp on a vision of death metal that not only is heavy but is also truly capable of producing alienating sounds and putting the listener on the defensive. 

“Labyrinth Charm,” opens explosively after a short clean intro.  The song takes a lot of different turns, as if lost in a labyrinth itself and insure what will be around the corner. After offering pummeled existence, a mesmerizing guitar solo cuts through which lets to a fast paced but atmospheric section that wouldn’t sound out of place on some black metal albums.  A little melody peaks about halfway through but the harrowing death screams ensure it isn’t a comfortable experience.  A passage that has post elements ends the song on and oddly beautiful note.

I have to say one of the strongest moments, if not the the strongest, on the album is the nearly ten minute long dirge that is “Geryon (The Plummet).  The dark clean notes build up to a smattering of drums and slow/low riffs.  The violin (not sure if it is real or keys but it sounds great, regardless) sound regal but also sorrowful and even slightly maddening in its false serenity.

Around the 2:40 mark, the riffs grow into a rumble as the band lumbers on like an unstoppable behemoth. The rest of the song changes and grows in a sick way, twisting into numerous forms as this beast comes to life.  Around the 5:55 mark, clean tones return but don’t offer a respite but instead bridge the song together in a way only Civerous can. 

All in all, this is my first experience with Civerous so “Maze Envy” is quite the surprise and one of the more extreme albums I’ve reviewed.  Of course, it is without a doubt extreme metal and presented as such but the songwriting, the way the band moves its music around, and the atmosphere born from it, puts it over the top as well.  An absolutely fantastic album.  

Hamferð - Men Gu​ð​s hond er sterk

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.

“Marrusorg,” brings out a somber, more melancholic side of the band. Gentle clean instrumentation and quiet cleans begin the song. The tapestry may be lighter but it's layered and dense in its own way. 

These moments are interspersed with heavier portions, the cleans rise above it all while the drum and bas keep it grounded. 

Thick riffs, like a pure wall of sound, open “Í hamferð.” This dirge is almost ethereal in the first half, the band comfortable in their journey through a misty veil. The later of the song is both a bit more chaotic and even had a blackened feel to it. But the spirt of the first half shines through, the two parts contrasting musically yet emotionally comparable.

Hamferð pulls out all the stops with “Hvølja,” a sinister dirge if there ever was one. The slow impending doom brings an apocalyptic feel to the music.

The bass threatens to vibrant the song apart but the shouting clean vocals bridge the song halves together. This is possibly my favorite song on the album

With “Men Gu​ð​s hond er sterk,” Hamferð have created an album that is as dynamic as it heavy. A true melding of beauty and the beast because it combines the oppressive, and depressive, approach of doom with the tapestry and sonic beauty of more atmospheric conditions and textures.

Mastiff - Deprecipice

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 between various styles and tempo. 

“Void” is such a great song—it is enthralling how the song is instantly a banger, full speed ahead from the very first second.  The rhythms have the subtlety of a machine gun that fires out hammers.  From the halfway point to the end, the song just doesn’t quit.  A pummeling riff fest hits first then before slowing down and letting the pain sink in.  Beautiful.  The bass drop after the three minute mark could level a mountain—this is how doom and sludge should be.

The sludge/hardcore influences are deadly on the minute and a half long slaughter fest that is “Skin Stripper,” which could be the soundtrack for that very thing happening to a body.  This song is so brutal, I’ve heard death metal that can’t even hold a candle against this.  A special kind of punishment, which is indicative of the album as a whole as well. 

“Worship,” begins with a sneaky tempo and an atmosphere that builds up so well that it’s nearly palpable.  I was almost nervous listening to this because, even though I knew the dam was about to break, I wasn’t sure how hard the rest of the song would hit.

It flattened me like a big ol steam roller that also has chainsaws welded to it.  After the two minute mark, the drums and bass kick it up a notch (how is that even possible?) and my broken, cut up, flat body was basically reduced to atoms.  The final thirty seconds or so is a massive fist of doomed out pain.

The final song is “Thorn Trauma,” and destroyed what little was left of my existence it.  This is the best song on the album for me, a perfect send off, a fitting end, and a prime example of just how powerful this type of music can be. 

All in all, “Deprecipice,” is one of the most heavy and uncompromising albums I have ever in the first three months of this year.  That’s saying a lot because, as a reviewer and Doom Charts contributor, I have already listened to well over a hundred albums.  This one makes the bulk of them sound like an after school special.  

Ornamentos Del Miedo - Escapando a través de la tierra

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 the grain they are almost frightening. The other part are the many layers that make up each song. Perfectly toned and dense riffs collide with keys, sharp pervasive drumming and bass that can be as thunderous as melodic.

Since the album is “just” six songs, I will say a little something about each of them.  

“Flores Muertas,” opens with album with light, ambient keys. They come to an end which begins a new round of doom, with a vaguely funeral but definitely Gothic atmosphere from the keys. Thick guitars/bass slather the remaining spaces with slow but heavy notes.

As the song builds up, it brings about contrast with melodic leads and those excellent, deadly vocals. 

Ethereal keys begin “Cielos Púrpuras,” and it has an almost alien/spacey sounds. That pulse of the unknown reaches through the other side and pulls itself through the sorrowful doom.

This song has a lot of little nuances and nooks/crannies for the music to have little adventures inside of. This is a song that will need multiple play throughs to discover everything.  But that's okay because it's such a worthy listen that you won't mind. 

“Pozo Infecto,” is the shortest song on the album at eight minutes in length. It is also the most direct of the six and gives a great overview of what the album is out to deliver. The keys and guitars really meld together well on this song. 

The song grows darker and heavier as it crawls along but never loses sense of of melody or the oddly beautiful moments created by its keys.

“Fragmentos de Espejos” had a bit of groove to the riffs, and the drums/bass keep It all firm and tight. The keys and guitars have moments of vibrancy that crash against the death growls that make the song seem very much buried in atmospheric lunacy. It's great! 

The title track is a like a moody storm…you know it's coming but there isn't much to do except…experience it, in all its glory, no matter what happens.The middle portion is quite emotive and how the melody plays off the heavier aspects is quite grandoise.

The final song, “Donde la Linea Termina,” is a 16 minute epic that is perhaps the projects finest hour.

Everything amazing about doom, what makes it the best music, is represented on this song. Long intro, heavy riffs, ghostly atmosphere and melodies that go a long way in ripping up the nerves.

Parts of this song are vicious, in a more cunning and deceptive way but others are nearly psychotic, such as the movement that begins at 6:05 mark.

The halfway point finds the song sort of resetting itself before building back up once again to the highest of highs.

I've been following Ornamentos Del Miedo for awhile now and I have to say that “Escapando a través de la tierra,” is quite possibly the project's best album…and that is saying something. 

Ultimately, this is an album of incredible depth and a variety of emotions that will provide ample listening time to even the most cynical doomers. There is a macabre joy in discovering all the details and layers this ridiculously good album had to offer. 

Sonata Arctica - Clear Cold Beyond

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”.  

“Days…”, much like “Unia” , was solid.  “Stones….” I found it to be awful and never gave it more than a few listens.  “Pariah’s Child” picked it back up for me but still had a few clunkers.  But I stuck with the band from there on out…and was disappointed each time.  “The Ninth Hour” was back to the low point that I thought they climbed out of.  “Talviyo” dug them further into the hole.  I'm not even going to t the “Ecliptica” remake.  

So now I find myself reviewing “Clear Cold Beyond” and it took me a while to collect my thoughts.  Do I still like this band?  Is it just nostalgia that has kept me by their side despite my personal disappointments with them for the last decade?  Is this album good because it is really good or am I just happy it’s better than any album since “The Days Of Grays?"

As a fan, I’m not sure I can answer any of those questions yet.  But as a reviewer, I went into this album with an open mind.  Despite what they meant to me when I was younger, the band has, ultimately, disappointed me as much as they have made me happy. So I think it is safe to say I'm far removed from being an average fanboy to take a mature look at this.

I will be clear on one thing: I don’t think it is a return to glory days.  Because I’m not sure what that means.  Sonata Arctica have always been one to take risks.  So  Despite how good this album actually is, I don’t want to say it is a return to form.   Instead, it is what it is: a damn good album.  Does it touch anything from their first four albums?  Not exactly but that was another lifetime ago and SA are never a band to repeat themselves.  But, like I mentioned, it is their best album since 2012.  To come back from the brink over eleven years later is no easy feat and the band must be commanded for it.  Several of the songs would fit right at home on their early stuff.  Other songs wouldn’t but they are still very well written.  

A lot of different outlets have been proclaiming this is a “return to form” and “brings back the fast songs.”  What is form, really?  I’m more concerned with them writing good songs than I am them returning to some supposed form.  These songs are good.  That’s all that matters.  As for them being fast?  It seems most people have forgotten but Sonata Arctica were never a band that only played fast songs.  “Silence” and “Winterhearts Guild” were most slow to mid pace songs.  I don’t care about a band’s tempo—again, are the songs GOOD?

“First In Line,” begins the album with a rumbling of drums and heavy guitar before their famous keys kick in and propel the song forward.  This is a quick, jaunty and catchy song that will appeal to anyone who discovered them so long ago.  Tony’s voice has held up nicely but the whole band is firing on all cylinders.  This is easily one of the best songs they have done in years.  

“Shah Mat,” begins with clean keys and a chant/choir type of vocal style before the guitars kick into an impressive string of heavy, rapid riffs.  Sonata Arctica have always been at their best when their songs are heavy because there is just something profound about Tony’s amazing clean singing over music that is much more aggressive than it should be.  It is a contrast that has always worked for them. 

“A Cure For Everything,” is another rager but this one balances melody very well for a classic sounding song that would probably be a hit live.  The drums are fast, crisp, and make the song vibrant.  Tony’s performance is outstanding and his vocal rhythm/cadence remain ultra catchy.

“Teardrops,” has a thick sound to it, the riffs are low and the tempo is slightly slower than the songs before.  But it remains heavy and, once again, Tony’s performance is great.  Throughout this album he shows he has attained renewed energy not only in his songwriting but in his vocal abilities as well. 

 Unfortunately, there is one song that I can’t get into.  “The Best Things,” is just something that I haven’t grasped yet.  I can’t tell you why—it doesn’t really do anything wrong.  But for whatever reason, it just isn’t standing out to me.

But the final song, and title track, ends the album on a high note.  Although heavy,  it is slower paced and methodical.  It reminds me of their Silence/Winterhearts Guild era where turning down the tempo can be just as effective as playing full speed.  Tony’s performance here is one of the best he has done.

All in all, “Clear Cold Beyond,” is a band that has found their confidence and vigor again.  The songs are heavy, catchy, and have a melancholic but melodic atmosphere.  Any fans that jumped ship would do well to get back on board.  Welcome back, Sonata Arctica.  

Slimelord - Chytridiomycosis Relinquished

Slimelord 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 low end intensity up. 

A cacophony of chaos from 2:44 to around the 5:25 mark dominates the senses with a frenzy of unrelenting attacks.  Afterwards, psychedelic melodies creep in, pulling the bass alongside it before it all fades out, leaving the nerves fried.

“Splayed Mudscape” shows just how effective the rhythm section is. The vocals hit hard, sort of splattering everywhere in little bursts of necrotic explosions. 

The 4:45 mark all the way to the end is the result of old school sensibilities aligning with a vicious atmosphere which, in turn, is built off a clever sense of songwriting and directional purpose. 

“The Hissing Moor” is one of my favorite on the album due in no small part to the nesrly two minute buildup. Listeng to this part feels like being pulled into another dimension. 

From the bass at the 4:32 mark all the way down to the end, the band plays death metal that is cohesive yet feels like it threatens to unravel…..absolutely love it.

The ending song, “Heroic Demise,” feels like the end of the world…an inevitable death cannot be abated.  It is one of the better instrumentals I've heard Lately because it captures the atmosphere of the album, riding the line between alien and familiar.

All in all, Slimelord’s “Chytridiomycosis Relinquished” is an album that I expected to be of a solid but standard death doom quality but turned out to be a surprisingly refreshjng take on the genre, balancing a heavy sound among more spacey, psychedelic soundscapes. 

Grey Skies Fallen - Molded By Broken Hands

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 promo many weeks ago.   Everything about the album, from the production down to the smallest detail of songwriting, is carefully crafted and obviously created out of love for what they do.  I can hear the emotions, the feelings, being poured into these seven songs by each member.

The atmosphere is dreary and sullen but every song has its own identity, a testament to the synergy of the band not only to each other’s play styles but also to their desire to keep their core sound intact while still branching out. 

The album would be a great introduction to doom metal, for anyone who is looking to get into the genre.  The songs are not overly long and it isn’t just the same riff over and over again.  There is more than enough variety to keep things interesting, even for those who don’t like the genre.

Rick Habeeb’s vocals are the stuff of dreams.  His extreme are powerful, throaty, and vicious…definitely a blackened feel to his vocals.  His cleans are equally as wonderful—such an emotional voice that reminds me of expressive legends as Jorn Lande, Russel Allen, and Zachary Stevens.  Both of his vocal styles are so goddamn good that I can’t decide which one I prefer.  Well, why not both?  

Of course, he is a hell of a guitarist. He and Joe D’Angelo handle the moody music with deft precision.  It doesn’t matter if the song calls for big melodies, harmonies, or neck breaking riffs—these guys play to their strengths all the time.  There is no showboating or pointless wankery, they do what needs to be done and move onto the next piece of the puzzle. 

But a band is only as good as their rhythm section, especially doom.  Sal Gregory and Tom Anderer keep this ship anchored but also move it freely from destination to destination.  Anderer doesn’t drown, the music is fuzzed out reverb and Gregory isn’t all bark with no real bite.  Much like their guitarist bandmates, the two of them know exactly what they are doing and what needs to be played, when and how. 

As I always do (unless the album is short or only has a few tracks), I’m not going to speak on every song because I’ll be here all day.  But I will speak of my favorite songs/moments throughout the 47 minute runtime. 

The album opens with “A Twisted Place In Time.”  A clean intro that lasts just over a minute before melodic heaviness and Rick’s powerful extremes hit like a ton of bricks.  Despite the melody, the music has a lot of weight to it—this is how the album is as a whole, as well.  I chalk that up to a good production job…this album is beefy. 

The middle movement of the song is beautiful in ways that only doom can pull off.  The drum work here is of note as well.  The riffs around the six minute mark are deep, nearly dragged my ears to the ground.  The strings, played by Ben Karas, are so grandiose that it almost made me weep.  Stunning ending to the song.

A heartfelt guitar solo opens the title track….impressive and I don’t mean just the way it is played but just how well it fits into the song and leads to the next part.  Colin Marston’s synths are a highlight and are especially effective when played alongside Rick’s screams and growls.  What a combo!  The bass is of great importance here, as there are a lot of clean moments through the song but its presence keeps the immensity front and center. Rick’s cleans are out of this world great, especially near the final moments of the song when he wails “Molded by broken hands!  Broken hands!”   Ridiculously awesome. 

“Cracks In Time,” is the shortest song on the album but it is more direct nature is good for the album’s pace in the back half and I welcomed its more riff oriented structure.  The guitars are groovy as hell. The quick trade of between cleans and harsh vocals is epic and I love the lyrics “ice in our veins.”  The 3:30 mark all the way to the end is one of the more intense moments not only on the album but in the band’s discography.  

The final song is “Knowing That You’re There,” and it ends the album perfectly.  The cadence of Rick’s clean vocals are very catchy and I found myself humming the song quite often. The opening guitar/bass melding as one with the strings is profound and striking, the perfect set up to introduce the vocals. 

The quiet part in the middle is quite introspective and the whole movement, and the screams/growls that come right after, is one of my favorite moments on the album and such a powerful notion. 

All in all, Grey Skies Fallen’s “Molded By Broken Hands,” is hands down one of the best albums I’ve heard so far this year.  That may not seem like much as its only march but, trust me, it is.  As a reviewer and Doom Charts contributor, I have promos coming out my ass.  I have already listened to over a hundred different albums this year and have reviewed several dozen.  “Molded By Broken Hands,” is a truly great album.  

Blazar - Fatal Cosmic Wound

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 this darkness together. 

Of the seven tracks, the four longer ones make up the meat of the album. In between these harrowing dirges, interludes of cosmic horror fill up the liking passages.

The first full song is the gigantic title track. Brackish waves of doom reverberate from the guitars as disgustingly effective death growls seep in between the heavy notes. The drums compliment the slow pace by allowing themselves to create rising action that ends in a huge riff, brutal vocal or staggering bass line.

Around the eight minute mark, eerie synths take over the atmosphere, flooding the space with dangerous and alien tones. This part works well, a testament to the band's ability to keep the feel and themes of the song, and the others, on the same level even when they switch up the playing styles.

“Beyond The Event Horizon” is a scary track that unnerved me but I wouldn't have it any other way. The way the band grabs hold of these cosmic horrors and steers them in such disturbing directions is fantastic.

This song is slightly faster, offering a more riff based structure rather than more distorted textures. It's still cavernous, cold, and permeating with unknown dangers. The lead guitar offers what amounts to melody for this band—it is another layer of bleakness. After the four minute mark, clean tones and a rousing drum performance creep the evil along through a stalking maze. 

One of the more adventurous and layered songs is “Crystallized Oblivion.” Its use of synths/keys brings it to another level, a new fear unlocked through the music of quiet desperation. At times the synths are subtle, other times they lead this doomed path. The vocals and drums slither their way through this nightmarish world, giving the guitars and synths plenty of room to work.

After the five minute mark, the music gets pretty out there in terms of psychosis horror. The music is clean at first, the keys being used to subtly drive me mad. The vocals creep back in, the bass begins to smother as the doom and synths become one.

The last full-length song is “Forgotten” but it won’t soon leave you.  This grimy, doomed ode to misery is everything I like about this style.  The bass is so deep, it's almost overpowering.  The riffs are so low they sink down into the muck, touching the edges of hell.  The vocal performance is among the best on the album, just truly hideous in the best way.  

All in all, this is a very surprising debut that seemed to come out of nowhere–but will definitely leave its clawed mark on many ears this year.  Any fan of extreme doom will be missing out if they let “Fatal Cosmic Wound” pass them by.