Doomed For Metal Reviews

Eminentia Tenebris is an atmospheric black metal band from France, who formed in 2020.  It’s actually a one band project from musician Cryo ( Black Light Era , Hrad , ex- The Fire Source ).  His latest album under this moniker, “ Whispers of the Undying ,” is the fourth full-length album. This is my first time hearing this band but I’m absolutely enthralled with it!  It’s atmospheric, melodic, and each song is something that truly earns the often overused word ‘epic.’  I’m impressed by how balanced it is.  A lot of atmospheric bands, particularly blackened ones, tend to let the keys overpower everything and it just results in a noisy wall of sound.   “ Whispers of the Undying ,” doesn’t have this issue.  While their keys are obviously very present, they don’t take away from any of the other instruments.  Across the album’s  35 minute, 8 track runtime, there are more than enough moments with cool riffs, engaging melodies, a primal black...

Cavern Deep is a doom metal band from Sweden who formed in 2019.  Their latest release, “ Part III-The Bodiless ,” is their third full-length album.  I’ve been following these guys since their debut but haven’t reviewed them more.  “ The Bodiless ,” is a great release so I’m excited to finall be able to speak about them! This is a deep album with a lot of depth; the good thing is, it’s somewhat ‘short’ for a doom album with just a 38 minute runtime.  The band uses their time well and not a second is wasted—as the minutes tick by, they push the music further down into the darkness.  The runtime makes it perfect to take this plunge over and over again. It may go without saying considering their name but this album is dark and ultra heavy—cavernous is usually a word reserved for extreme death/doom or funeral doom bands but this music is as lightless and intense as anything in those genres.  Despite the claustrophobic, nightmarish atmosphere, the guitar solos ...

Kal-El is a stoner rock/doom metal band from Norway, who formed in 2021.  Their latest album, “ Astral Voyager Vol. 1 ” is their sixth full-length album; they have also released three EPs and a live album. This is the first time I’m hearing Kal-El ’s brand of doom—and it has me completely enthralled.   From the first song to the last, this 42 minute spacey epic is wholly impressive. While rooted in stoner elements, the band includes a lot more in their sound.  Inside these six tracks, hard rock, heavy metal, and psychedelic merge seamlessly with groovy, fuzzed-drenched doom on top of all sci-fi themes.  Their bass-heavy sound and massive, downtuned guitars make every song a dense exploration into space itself.  It’s quite atmospheric and imaginative while being more gripping and catchy than music of this depth usually is.  Josh (Guitar), Doffy (Guitar), and Knutsen (Bass) bring crushing doom to the table even as they cast out sonic vibrations among soundsc...

 The Howling Void is a one man doom metal band from Texas that formed in 2007. The musician behind the music is Ryan Wilson . He has been quite prolific; “ The Glow of a Distant Fire ” is the project's ninth full length album! Over the years, The Howling Void has become one of my favorite doom bands.  Their style of funeral doom is much more expansive and dynamic than many others who do the style. The project's focus on using folk and Symphonic elements has always set it apart and “ The Glow of a Distant Fire ,” continues that trend. I wouldn't call this album cavernous or other adjectives normally used for funeral doom. It's heavy of course but not In the same way as say, Esoteric . Gorgeous synths present themselves through keys, strings and layers of atmospheric pressure. These elements add a regal, grandiose quality to the slow, heavy riffs that I just don't find other doom bands doing quite as well.  Of the three songs, none of them are under 15 minutes in le...

Pyromancer is a blackened death metal band from Kentucky, who hit the scene in 2015 with their debut demo.  After a split album last year, they are now dropping their full-length debut album, “ Absolute Dominion By Fire .” Remember in Lord of the Rings when Gimili said, “I wish I could muster a legion of Dwarves, fully armed and filthy?”  Well, I’m still not exactly sure what that means but this album is fully armed and filthy.  The hellish atmosphere settles across a broken landscape of jagged black metal riffs and death metal grooves. In essence, the music matches the fiery desolation of the cover art.    I like the album’s embracement of varying tempos.   There are blast beats galore and many passages of outright demonic ravaging but among these treacherous catacombs rest mid pace riffs and even slower, kinda doom-ish tempos.  I smelled sulfur while listening to the music take these little twists but then realized it was just my farts. Still, t...

Aphonic Threnody is a funeral doom metal band from the UK that formed in 2012. Their latest release, “ A Silence Too Old ” is their sixth full-length album (seventh if you count the re-issue of “ When Death Comes ”).  They have also released three split albums and an EP. That's a lot of music and in 2022 they released the massive funeral death/doom opus “ The Loneliest Walk .” That massive release was nearly two and a half hours of music across two discs and 10 songs. After that, where does one go? What else can be done? There is more than enough fire in Riccardo , the driving force behind the band. He always surrounds himself with great musicians but even as they come and go, he is always still there with new and fresh ideas. Enter “ A Silence Too Old ,” a strong contender for the band's best album today. Whereas the previous album was a deeply personal, sprawling album, “ A Silence… ” is more focused with a lot of people on hand to help steer this doom ship. It really focuse...

Tier is a power trio from Germany, playing what they called ‘Dark Western Stoner Blues.’  If that genre tag doesn’t get your attention then the music and clever songwriting definitely will.  The band debuted with an EP back in 2022 but have now dropped their frighteningly great full-length album “ Backwood Blues .”  The band might not be metal compared to most of the types of bands this my blog focuses on but the influence is there and it has more than a few moments of sonic crushing through the incorporation of stoner/doom elements.  Honestly, they remind me of a southern-fried Clutch in some ways. They don’t sound like them, per say, but they have a similar approach in vocal styles (clean, expressive vocals with just enough grit) and the music rocks hard through the incorporation of a myriad of styles.   Honestly, I’m surprised they are from Germany because this is what people in the southern part of the USA should be listening to if they had taste. ...

HellLight is a doom metal band from Brazil, who formed in 1996. Their latest release, “ We, The Dead ,” is their eight full-length album; they have also released a demon, a EP, a compilation, and a live album.  I’m late to this band’s gorgeously morose brand of doom; I didn’t discover them until their previous album, “ Until The Silence Embraces. ” I wish I had discovered them a lot earlier but better late than never. Their music is very much funeral doom but it can also be Gothic and quite melodic in places. It’s so dark and unforgiving yet there is an odd sense of beauty to their music as well. “ We, The Dead ,” continues to add layers to an already engaging sound and might just be their best album yet. As with any funeral doom band, their music is about as slow as glacier–maybe even slower. But, for me at least, that is the appeal of the album; I love the way it slowly unfurls itself, like the last vestiges of sunlight fading out as time gives way to the ever approaching...

Hexecutioner is a doom/stoner/sludge metal band from Seattle that formed in 2020. Their latest release, “ Tornit ,” is their second full-length album; they have also released a demo. The band’s style is Doom with a capital DOOM. It embraces the elements of the genre without shame—and bludgeons my ear drums with them. The songs are mid-paced and built upon RIFFS, RIFFS, RIFFS, and more RIFFS. Oh and some RIFFS too.   The band’s approach is both classic and hypnotic—they take one riff, run with it, and hammer it over and over until I realized I had head banged so much I turned into a worm. But that’s just fine with me, because the next riff arrived and pulled me back together—and the process repeats. I don’t get high but if I did, I could see myself listening to this and then waking up three days later naked in the woods.   The tone and fuzz of these masterful notes, the bass included, laces their brand of doom with a filthy layer of sludge. It’s heavy as a real...

An Tóramh is a funeral doom band from the United States, who formed in 2024. Wasting little time, the duo is now gracing us with their full-length debut, “Echoes of Eternal Night. ” I love albums that truly embrace their style without regard to anyone but fans of the genre. “ Echoes of Eternal Night ,” is, quite simply, a doom metal album for doom metal fans. This is an esoteric experience that won’t appeal to everyone but I can assure this album is a very strong representation of funeral doom.   Even considering the genre, this is a pretty deep dive into abyssal waters. Vocalist John Suffering ( Chalice of Suffering , Forever Falling , Solemn Echoes , among others) and multi-instrumentalist Anthony Copertino Jr. ( Unecstacy , Goatwitch , ex-Christcrusher ) have released something truly horrific upon the doom world. I hope it was cathartic for them as well and were able to keep some of this released darkness from coming back inside them.  Suffering’s vocals, wh...

Dormant Ordeal is a death metal band from Poland, who formed in 2005.  Their latest release, “ Tooth and Nail ,” is their fourth full-length album; they have also released three demos. Although I didn’t review it, the band’s previous album, “ The Grand Scheme of Things ,” was not only an excellent release but also my first exposure to the band.   Founding member, Radek Kowal , is no longer in the band and it’s interesting that it seems to not have affected the band’s energy at all considering “ Tooth and Nail ,” is their best album so far.  First, I want to point out Chason Westmoreland ’s drum performance: mind blowing.  I think he’s a session musician instead of an official member but the duo made the right choice to have him provide the drums.  His style is deep, vibrant, and adds a rich fullness to the album that I can’t get enough of. The production/mix is something that must be commended as well.  While it is crystal clear, and I can see why extreme ...

Trivax is a death/black metal band from Tehran, and later based in the UK, who formed in 2009.  Their latest release, “ The Great Satan ,” is their third full-length album; they have also released two demos, four EPs, a collaboration, and two compilations.   This album came out of left field for me and is a very pleasant surprise; before receiving the promo, I had never heard of the band.   But what’s even more surprising is “ The Great Satan ,” isn’t just another run-of-the-mill extreme metal album.  There are a lot of dynamics and details to the albums, making it an engrossing and very interesting experience.  The subject matter is a bit different as well.  According to their press release, “The Great Satan is a bold statement on the dark side of Islam and Middle Eastern turmoil, particularly the devastating 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, led by the mullahs.”   So they offer more than just the the standard “I’m going to fuck butt fuc...

Hate is a blackened death metal band from Poland, who formed in 1991. Their latest album, “ Bellum Regiis ,” is their 13th full-length album! The quality of their output is consistently high—one of the most solid discographies in extreme metal.     People tend to compare Hate to Behemoth and Vader , claiming they sound like those two bands but, really, they are just saying that because they are all from Poland. Decapitated are from Poland as well; do Hate sound like them as well? Of course not.   The truth is Hate does their own thing. Their music is perhaps too extreme to be as memorable as some of their brethren but for immediacy, urgency, and pure fucking brutal energy, it’s hard to beat Hate. Vocalist/Guitarist Perun is still the MVP of the band; his vocals sound ageless and as potent as ever. His riffs remain a smorgasbord of pummeled grooves and destructive riffs. Alongside lead guitarist Domin , the two of them spend the album’s 46 minute runti...