Sarajah - Sarajah

Sarajah is a doom metal band from Finland who formed in 2010.  This self-titled album is their full-length debut; they also released a demo in 2017.

The band's sound is a more traditional style of doom, a stark contrast to the other members' bands.  Both vocalist Magus and drummer H.Wizzard are from Fimir. Guitarist J.H. is the musician behind Shades of Deep Water and In Depths of Winter.

Still, while Sarajah may lack the extreme elements of the aforementioned bands, they are still doom and just as heavy in their own way. J.H. and  bassist/second guitarist Jeff Pekkilä bring riffs for days. Each song captures the classic feel of old school Doom through the worshiping of thick, fat riffs that go on for days. H. Wizzard's drums are as impenetrable as the guitars, offering a meaty approach that is powerful and vibrant.

Traditional doom isn't usually known for its vocal prowess but Magus is an absolute beast. He doesn't use filtered vocals, an overly gruff speaking voice, high pitched wails, or any other doom trope. Simply put, he sings his ass off with an expressive, deep voice that sounds convincing.

Ultimately, the individual performances are something to behold.  Concentrating on listening to just any one instrument will provide a highly engaging trip---just really killer instrumental prowess here. So much traditional doom ventures too far into stoner and becomes blinded by its own fog.  Not this album; it doesn't sound sleepy, hazy but instead vigorous and hungry. 

The production is solid–nothing flashy but that's not what this style needs. The important thing is the low end is mixed in perfectly and none of the instruments drown pit each other.  It has an open sound, a lot less confined than what some other traditional doom bands bring to the table. In essence, although it's obviously influenced by the legends of old, it has a modern sound to it. 

The songs are, of course, centered around the power of the almighty riff but every instrument gets equal time to shine. I'd say despite how good each individual performance is, everyone is on board with making the songs whole. This is without a doubt an album that can be enjoyed either on a piecemeal basis or straight through. The 37 minute runtime, across eight songs, certainly helps with that. 

The album opens with the title track, starting off with a groovy riff and notable bass. The vocals croon with a deep clean; within a minute the band is firing on all cylinders. And that's really the key to the albums success: the band always comes together and compliments each other's playing.  The middle portion of the song is a good example of which I speak…it's a little jam session where the band feeds off each other. 

“Long Riders,” is also groove laden but the riffs are massive, almost sweltering. The vocals are very catchy here and the chorus was stuck in My head for some time. The middle part of the song is one of the album best moments. The guitars throws out a final riff before giving the backbone to the bass, which in turns helps boost up the clever solo. 

“Home of Arktos,” is the shortest song on the album but extremely focused…the riffs cut deep and have a flavorful vibe to them.  Once again, the vocals are catchy as hell.  I liked the opening, which begins as clean, deep tones before the riff drops. It's a solid, heavy slab of notes and it falls like the sinking of a ship to the unfathomable depths. The guitar solo is just melodic enough to offset the abrasiveness of the riffs without taking focus off the song. The clean instrumentation returns after the halfway mark, another little details that adds to the fullness of the song.  

That's another great element about the album: it has a towering, full sound.  Every second is used, nothing is wasted, and nothing is overdone.  It comes to to bring the doom, destroys all in its path, and then leaves.  It makes for an album with a smooth flow and a lot of replay value. 

The final song, “Underworld,” is the longest Song on the album at over 8 minutes. It has a long intro that stacks riffs upon riffs upon riffs before the vocals enter right before the two minute mark. The guitar solo has a slight psychedelic vibe to it, a nice addition to add an extra layer to this mini epic.

All in all, Sarajah's self-titled debut is a strong effort and one of the best traditional doom album I've heard in this second half of the year.