An Tóramh - Echoes of Eternal Night

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, which have always been extremely potent and against the grain, are a misery delivery system. He’s low, slow, and there isn’t much here to make me believe he is anything but inhuman when he is behind the mic. Music of this nature can be hard to pull off because, sometimes, the instruments try to out-sad-boi each other to see who can be the most emotionally oppressive and depressive. Anthony avoids this; each instrument fits right where it needs to be among the musical graveyard.  

Production/mix is rough but in a DIY way that adds a certain charm to the music. And by charm I mean never ending darkness. There is a surprisingly low number of raw doom metal albums out there so I’m actually enjoying this more exposed approach to bringing out the atmosphere. Funeral doom is oftentimes unhealed and pain—why not sound like it in all aspects?

After the mood setting intro, the first full song is the title track—I always find it bold and confident when bands bring in the title song early. It was a good call for this album as well, considering it’s a prime example of what else the album has to offer: bleak dirges that would make even a sunny day outside turn chill and damp.  

The lead guitar is fantastic–it moves around the song, grabbing my attention even while letting my ears find the other elements. The bass, from both the bass guitar and drums, is an ever-expanding void that always seems just seconds away from devouring the rest of the notes. John’s vocals roll over the atmosphere with performances somewhere between “soul skinning” and “gravel eating,” and he couldn’t sound better. 

The song has a slight symphonic feel to it, especially the last few minutes. But this isn’t bombastic like a power metal band would be but instead darkly regal and baroque. 

The drumming for the album is memorable, especially in songs like “Embrace In Shadows,” where each hit on the kit serves to move the song forward while adding another layer of aggression that slower music sometimes needs. The main melody that moves throughout the opening minutes walks the line between Gothic and atmospheric, ensuring that even as the cavernous sounds descend like shadows in the light, a small hope does exist, however slight it may really be. Suffering gurgles out the lyrics through the mid section while the keys and guitars seem simple but are actually well written layers that add a density to the song that matches the darkness. 

The final song, “Withering In Sorrow,” is unique to the other ones in terms of production and mix. I don’t know if it was a mistake or purposely done but this song is a lot more raw than the previous ones. Regardless, it works well because the louder, more cluttered room the song exits in adds a slightly chaotic vibe. Both the rhythm guitars and Suffering go for broke, offering their heaviest performances on the album. With that being said, the guitars are more open in some places, particularly around the 3:16 mark where the band is embraced by Gothic tendrils. 

Funeral doom isn’t for everyone but An Tóramh’s “Echoes of Eternal Night,” is exactly what I want and need for the genre. If this genre is your thing, you’ll be playing this nonstop as you cry in a corner. If not, well try it anyway because sometimes the only way to face the darkness is to embrace it head on—dive into this beast of an album and it will swallow you up whole. 

Rating: Excellent