Doomed For Metal Reviews

In Mourning is a progressive death metal band from Sweden, who formed in 2000. 25 years later, they are still going strong. Not only strong but better than ever. My evidence for such a proclamation? This album. That's right: This new full-length album “The Immortal” is their best album since 2010's “ Monolith .”  To be seven albums (and that isn't even mentioning their demos, splits, EPs and live albums) into a 25 year career and still be this good is something to behold. What makes this album so good? Well, In Mourning has always had a knack for being proggy without actually sounding like it. Through natural dynamics and the variety between albums, the band have proven themselves to be explorers of sound without the pretentious aspects that so often come with such journeys. In many ways, “ The Immortal ,” continues that trend. Indeed, each song offers its own identity and, of course, this album doesn't sound like any of their previous ones.  The album shows the band...

Patriarchs In Black is a metal band, formed by Dan Lorenzo ( Cassius King , Vessel of Light , Hades ) and Johnny Kelly ( Type O Negative , Danzig , Kill Devil Hill ) in 2021.  They have wasted little time in releasing albums as this latest release, “ Home, ” is their fourth full-length album.  Keeping in line with tradition of the previous albums, this one features a ton of guest stars to help Dan and Johnny, specifically to play bass and provide vocals but violin, viola, flute and strings are used as well. The band’s base is still very much doom metal:  groove riffs, slow to mid-paced with a ton of weight behind them.  Lorenzo knows exactly what each song needs, how to pull back or move forward with his string prowess at just the right moments.  Kelly, as always, is a rock solid drummer who compliments Lorenzo’s play style perfectly.   Do these two ever run out of rhythms?  No, no, they do not.   With all that being said, this is one o...

Crop is a metal band from Lexington, Kentucky that formed in 2020.  Their latest release is the full-length album “ S.S.R.I .”  This is their debut full-length but they also released a demo in 2021.  Their sound is definitely doomed based but their press release says they have a grunge influence and their Metallum page says they are stoner doom.  I think all these tags are true—the band’s sound is an amalgamation of everything that’s moody and depressing. For doom fans, such as myself, this is something that is absolutely wanted.   And Crop give to us in spades.  I’m not a grunge fan; with the exception of Alice In Chains, I can’t stand any band from the so called ‘grunge’ scene of the 90s.  But Crop mix the style so well into their extremely abrasive sound that it doesn’t bother me.   “ S.S.R.I. ” is the audio equivalent of bathing with a steel wool.  This is a 34 minute journey of pain, emotion, and the torture of human existence...

Schreigarm is a black metal band from Germany who formed in 2020. Their latest release, “ Mara Comes and Darkness Shall Reign ,” is their second full-length album. I missed out on their debut but “ Mara Comes …” has proven itself to me as a surprisingly infectious atmospheric black metal album with a ton of memorable moments. The album retains a fast and aggressive nature, never really losing its edge through the atmospheric elements. I like how the atmo/melodic elements are somewhat subtle and don’t overpower any of the more traditional side of the band’s sound. The production is very tight—not all black metal bands need a raw sound and, honestly, for blackened music of this style then I want something that shines a little brighter. There are a lot of layers to these songs and each individual element unfolds very well because of how good the album sounds. I want to praise the intro song, “ Darkness Shall Reign .” Intro songs are becoming a pandem...

Malthusian is an Irish death/black metal band that formed in 2012.  Their latest album, “ The Summoning Bell ,” is their second full-length album; they have also released a demo, a split, and an EP.   This album is terrifyingly great. And it's terrifying in general!  The band's brand of blackened death is, on the surface, straightforward with no frills.  But multiple listens reveal a band that thrives on the essence of a true extreme, underground sound. The tone of the instruments, the vocals…it is all played with such conviction that it becomes an exciting frill within itself. At times, the tempo is slow and withdrawn–definitely some doom elements within the songs. The ferocity in which they swing back towards a faster paced tempo is like a tree being exploded into pieces by a bolt of lightning. I really like the atmosphere of the album and its as impressive as the songwriting. The air of hopelessness among stark, bleak monolithic tones is present among the bru...

I’m very confused.  The press release for this album said this is the Swedish band Lommi ’s most aggressive album to date and it’s been 10 years in the making.   Why is that confusing?  Because I can’t find ANYTHING on this band.    They have very little digital presence and even their record label has zero information about them.  I can’t find any evidence they have ever released an album other than this one, the oddly titled “ 667788 .” But, confusing musical history aside, this is a goddamn burner of an album.  It’s rooted in old-school doom/metal but far more aggressive than most vintage bands I come across these days.  The bass guitar and double bass are really powerful and thick in the mix—earth shattering!  Speaking of the mix, this album sounds fantastic!  It’s loud and boisterous but those adjectives work in its favor because it lets the riffs shine. The riffs.  My god the RIFFS.  This album is like Christmas morning b...

Signs of the Swarm is a deathcore band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who formed in 2014.  Their latest album, “ To Rid Myself of Truth ,” is their sixth full-length album. I’ll be honest: Deathcore isn’t the first genre I would choose to listen to.  But it has a number of decent to great bands.  Sings of the Swarm is definitely in the great category for me and I’m excited to be reviewing this one.   The band’s musicianship has always impressed me.  Sure, they have breakdowns like any other deathcore band, but their songs have always seemed more and focused.  “ To Rid Myself of Truth ,” carries that further alongside a very uncompromising sound.  Deathcore tends to be much more mainstream sounding than its more extreme cousin, death metal, but this album is pretty goddamn intense. Michael ’s bass just might be the MVP of this album.  His tone is beastly and it’s so powerful that it’s never buried by the very dense guitars or drums.  He s...

Mors Principium Est is one of the most underrated bands on the scene today, melodic death or otherwise.  Their music is fantastic and in my humble opinion they deserve to be mentioned alongside the greats.  They have been kicking it for 25 years and “Darkness Invisible ” is their 8th full length album.   I know there has been some drama around line up changes but that isn't my business. I'm here for the music. Plus, the original guitarists Jarkko and Jori have returned so this album speaks to me since I discovered the band way back during “ The Unborn ” era. Mors has always had an unique sound to me, especially compared to some other melodic death bands.  “ Darkness Invisible " channels that uniqueness very well. It has an epic, sweeping atmosphere to it while also being fast and aggressive.  Furthermore, the album retains the band's signature sound of catchy melodies with a hint of sorrow and melancholy.  The production/mix is shiny and bright. That ...

I was a fan of Cult Burials ' previous album, 2023's “ Reverie of the Malignant ,” and have been looking forward to a new one ever since. It doesn't disappoint. The atmosphere across the album is incredible. I've said this before in other reviews but as much as I love death metal I feel like sometimes it's not as extreme as it should be, if that makes sense.  Obviously by default death metal is extreme but what I mean is a lot of the danger that made death metal so infamous in the first place seems to be missing in these modern times now.  One could argue that's because of a lot of influence from the modern side of metal or it could just be simply be caused a lot of the original death metal bands or just getting older. There is nothing wrong with that per say but I always appreciate it when I hear a new death metal album that feels deadly dangerous and dark. "Collapse of Pattern Reverence of Dust," at least for me, is one of those albums that truly fee...

Last Retch is a death metal band from Canada who formed in 2021. Their latest release, “ Abject Cruelty ” is their second full-length album; they have also released a demo and an EP. This album is sick as hell and twice as brutal and whatever punishment one’s imagination might conjure about that place. Considering the album’s themes and lyrics are inspired by real life decay and desperations, the subject matter is very raw so it needs an album like this to match it musically.  I love that it’s no-frills, no pretense too. This is straight up old-school death metal but the band’s disgusting and grimey sound is all their own. It has a ton of groove and riffs for days but it’s wrapped up in a putrid package of gross vocals (compliment) and an atmosphere somewhere between “dead bodies rotting in a swamp,” and “100 car pile up that was also hit by a bunch of asteroids.”  It’s also catchy, far more catchy than music this abrasive has any right to be. But it earns that right th...

Azell is a doom/sludge band from Louisville, Kentucky that formed in 2022.  Their latest album, “ Astralis ,” is their second full-length album.  I was a fan of their debut, “ Death Control ,” but didn’t review.   I’m happy I’m able to review this second effort of theirs because HOLY SHIT it is a magnificent beast.  If someone put you inside a barrel full of acid spitting super piranha then rolled you off a cliff, that ordeal still wouldn’t be as quarter violent or extreme as the doomed-out sludge contained within this album’s 11 track, 55-minute runtime. Azell is actually a duo consisting of Courtney and David Napier, a husband and wife who decided that playing extreme doom is the true American thing to do.  It isn’t but it goddam should be if this album is any evidence to the matter.  Both of them supply the vocals but Courtney plays the bass while David handles the guitars and drums. In their skilled hands, each of these instruments are a bludgeonin...

Pilgrimage is a doom/death metal band of international origins, hailing from The Hague, Netherlands/Malta.  They formed in 2018 and their latest release, “ From Amber To Sun ,” is their second full-length album. I was unfamiliar with the band before receiving this promo but by god they are on my radar forever.  I love all metal but doom is by far my favorite—and this album nails down exactly what I want to hear in doom, both in general, and specifically, for the more extreme ends of it. What I like about this album is that while it is definitely rooted in death doom, it’s also bolstered by a Gothic atmosphere and it is melodic when needed.  The overall sound is both devastating and sullen yet it’s dynamic enough that every song brings something different.  It’s a cohesive listening experience that flows remarkably from beginning to end.  I also appreciate the song lengths—they aren’t too long nor too short.  Each song really seems self-contained and has eve...

Witherer is a blackened death/doom band from Canada who formed in 2015.  Their latest release, “ Shadow Without a Horizon ,” is their full-length debut album; they have also released a demo and a split.  “ Shadow Without a Horizon ,” is the exact sound I’m looking for with blackened doom.  The band has created an album that is as convincing with clean tones as it is with more extreme notions.  Moments of sullen despondency echo through an atmosphere of what can only be described as “starving to death while succumbing to psychosis because your dumbass got lost in a cave.”  The heavier aspects are suffocating but devoid of any light.  With that being said, there is a certain animalistic, primal energy to the album that’s hard to explain.  Even during the slow parts, the songs are engaging and memorable.  It takes tight songwriting skills to keep long songs interesting and Witherer has zero issues with this.  The vocals are wild:  inhuman ...

Marasme is a metal band that combines doom, sludge, post-hardcore and black metal into a highly convincing sound.  The band formed in 2008 and their latest release, “ Fel ,” is their fourth full length album; they have also released an EP, a split, and a live album. “ Fel ,” is such a convincing album because it works on so many levels.  It’s extreme but also highly emotional.  The edges that incase the music are rough as hell, with jagged edges that cut to the bone.  But the lines inside are colored with a subtle approach to melody and just a shit ton of memorable moments. The production is fantastic; it feels very warm in places which helps bring out the melodic and post elements to the forefront just when they are needed to.  But it isn’t so pristine that the more destructive elements don’t get time to shine as well.  This album exists in many worlds and all them are presented equally and with strong dynamics to that approach.  The opening song, “ ...

Anchorite is a metal band of international origins that formed in 2018; their latest release, “ Realm of Ruin ,” is their second full-length album. While it does have plenty of slower parts, it also has a lot of mid and fast paced passages as well, making this one a strong representation of both doom and epic, heavy metal.  Every song is great with a lot of catchy parts and full of soaring vocals and riffs for days.   The production is shiny and clear but it works for the album because it allows the vocals to shine through, provides the drums with a sharp, crisp feel and doesn’t keep the bass from being heard behind the riffs.   At times their sound has a NWOBHM feel to it, especially in the beginning of the opening song, “ Realm of Ruin .”  Before the 30 second mark has even passed, the band turns itself into a powerful machine that churns out powerful rhythms and clean, melodic vocals that complement the atmosphere perfectly.  The solos kick ass too ...