Doomed For Metal Reviews

Shades of Deep Water is a funeral doom metal band from Finland, who formed in 2006. It's actually a one-man project/band from musician J.H. ( In Depths of Winter , Sarajah ) and “ The Years On Borrowed Time ” is the fifth full-length album under this moniker; three demos, three EPs, two compilations and a split have also been released. I've been following this band for awhile now and it just gets better over time, becoming one of my favorites in the doom scene. What I've always liked about the band, and an element that “ The Years …” has a firm grasp on, is how well the songs are put together. Across the albums 4 song, 41 minute runtime, there isn't one moment where the songs get lost within their own sound. The album is, of course, slow but never plodding. Every second is used, nothing is wasted. Atmosphere is as important to this album as the instruments and vocals. It's heavy as hell but it evokes a true feeling of sorrow and despair. This style of doom metal ...

If you’re a fan of doom metal, specifically the funeral side of the genre, then you probably already know about Evoken .  If you don’t, you’re a loser and you need to get off my blog.  Kidding.  Mostly. These American funeral death/doom legends have been at it since 1994 and “ Mendacium ,” is their seventh full-length album, in addition to also having a string of demos, a split, one compilation, and a box set. This is actually a concept album, telling of a fourteenth-century elderly Benedictine monk who can’t leave his cell in the monastery because of an illness.  As he gets worse, he encounters a hideous entity emerging through a tear in reality.  Is the torment of this month from this creature or is it all in his own mind?   That is some heavy stuff and Evoken matches it with some of the heaviest, darkest, doom I’ve heard in this second half of 2025.  When the band pours it on, “ Mendacium ,” is as intense and vicious as any death metal album....

  Death Has Spoken is a melodic death/doom metal band from Poland who formed in 2017.  Their latest album, “ Elegy ,” is their third full-length album; they have also released two splits. I didn’t review it, but I really enjoyed their previous album, “ Call of the Abyss ,” and it was my introduction to the band.  “ Elegy ,” is easily a step up from what was already an impressive sound.   The band’s approach to melodies is very catchy—despite the album being almost an hour long, it feels far shorter because of how well each song sticks out while flowing into the next one.  “Elegy,” is very well-written and everything has its place—it feels very complete instead of just a random mix of songs like a lot of albums do.  I like how the album doesn’t always wallow in its atmospheric misery—it can be very riff based at times.  Combine this aspect with the melodic textures and I would say this is a very guitar-oriented death/doom album, rather than dependi...

What is this?  What kind of name is that?  Those were the thoughts that poured into my head when the promo for this duo's fourth full-length album “ Bear .” But they have a Metallum page and were featured on a Weedian compilation so it had to be something I would enjoy and feature on my blog right? Well, they are from Nashville and I'm a fellow Tennessean, so I figured why not at least give it a chance? I still don't know what this is, but I enjoy the hell out of this album! Is this doom? Sludge? I think I would say it's in the doom category—the album is full of massive guitar riffs and bass that could level a forest. But it has a “grunge” feel at times and can be melodic when needed.   It is also catchy as hell. I mean, every song WILL get stuck in your head for days. On top of all that, the musicianship is tight as hell.  Vocalist Buick Audra sings her face off. Her vocals are clean, but they are extremely potent with a lot of nuances to them. She's also a rif...

Cromlech is a one-man black metal band from Gerline, Germany who formed in 1994 by musician Impurus .  His latest album under the moniker is “ Of Owls and Eels ” and it is the second full-length. This is an album that is engaging and gripping from the intro song, “ Old Incineration Hymn ,” all the way through the end of its 39-minute runtime.  The energy is wild and infectious, paring well with some of the best production I’ve heard on a black metal album this year.  It sounds just raw enough to be effective, but the atmosphere, organs and keys/synths still have room to stand out–without over taking the essence of the very aggressive blackened assault.  I don’t want to call this symphonic, atmospheric, cinematic, or melodic.  No, that wouldn’t be too easy and also imply that any one of those adjectives are the band’s main approach.  Instead, these elements are just another tool used to expand this journey.   It’s fast and harrowing yet scary and pensiv...

Revocation is a death metal band from Massachusetts who formed in 2000 as Crypt Warning and released one album before changing their name in 2006. “ New Gods, New Masters ” is their 9th full-length album. David Davidson is the main guy, offering up vicious vocals and extreme talent with the guitar. Even though the band is popular for their style, I still feel he is vastly underrated. He's also one hell of a songwriter, as evident by the fact that Revocation has never released a bad album. The band's style death infused thrash (or thrash infused death, depending on how you look at it) remains as firm as ever. Initially, I was worried when I realized how many guests are on the album, as that has a possibility of taking away from the band but I wasted my time on such pointless thoughts because each guest musician adds to the album's already deep depth. The bass is much more audible this time around and Alex brings it hard. The mix is pretty good and the tones of the instrumen...

An Abstract Illusion is a progressive extreme metal band from Sweden who formed in 2007.  Their latest release, “ The Sleeping City ,” is their third full-length album; they have also released an EP. This is unquestionably one of the best albums of the year, regardless of genre.  It is progressive and adventurous without being convoluted or pretentious.   While its seven tracks add up to just over an hour of runtime, each song has several epic, wow moments and crafted so expertly that the hour will breeze. Before you know, you’ll find yourself smashing the play button again. I like the flow of the album a lot.  The three longest songs are spread enough among the four shorter ones, so each song feels like it has its own time to shine, and listener fatigue doesn’t become an issue.  The production is amazing too, almost as important as the songs themselves.  It’s very clear and clean but when it comes to prog like this, that is exactly the kind of the world th...

Withering Soul is a blackened melodic death metal band from Chicago, Illinois who formed in 1999.  Their latest release, “ Passage of the Arcane ,” is their fifth full-length album; they have also released two demos.  Somehow this band has flown under my radar for a long time as this is my first experience with the band.  Upon pressing the play button on my promo, it immediately hit me that their brand of melodic metal is quite a bit more vicious than most in the style.  The blackened influences certainly help with that.  Overall, the album is fast, catchy, and filled with a ton of melodies while still having an aggressive atmosphere. The production is pretty damn good too.  So much melodic death doesn’t seem to focus on the bass but “ Passage of the Arcane ,” does.  Not only is Joel’s bass a pleasure to listen to, it’s also a strong rhythm presence that makes each song sound meaty, instead of thin and stale. Both Rick’s drums and Krystofer’s guitars h...

Silent Tombs is a death/doom band from Mexico, who formed in 2017. Their latest release, “ Mourning Hymns From Beyond ,” is their debut full-length album; they have also released a demo.  Before I even dive into the album, there is something you must know: “ Mourning Hymns From Beyond ,” is a stunning debut album and as engrossing as anything I’ve heard this year. It’s dark and scary, disturbing in only a way death/doom can be. The primal, urgent energy that is often lacking in doom metal permeates every song.   But it lives in two worlds, and the other one is a heart wrenching tapestry of melodies and melancholic tapestries. Atmospheric clean passages find their place among guitar melodies, themselves living amongst more carnal representations of the genre’s foundations.    There is an oppressive sullen vibe that exists alongside the violent parts, the band and album effectively living in both worlds even while exceeding expectations for each of them....

Ohio’s blackened funeral doom/sludge project Lowered Head is from Ben Vanweelden , the same musician involved with Venomous Echoes , Ceremonic Buryment , Wallow , and Axiom Chaos .   Just when I thought I'd heard the most miserable, heaviest doom albums this year, Lowered Head comes along and drops this beastly self-titled debut. This is nearly 46 minutes of some of the most despondent, depressing, and abrasive doom metal I’ve found in this second half of the year.   The vocals sound inhuman: a primal mixture of desperation, frustration, any other negative human emotion that can be dredged up from the psyche. If I stuck my head down into a pile of mixed glass and rocks and began inhaling, the resulting situation of dying in bloody asphyxiation might sound something like Ben’s vocal performance. It’s blackened but it’s also something else, like another dimension of pain. The production is perfect for this type of sickening doom, raw and with a live feel but not...

Birds of Nazca are a French stoner/doom/psych band who are quite interesting.  The band is actually a duo, consisting of just a guitarist and drummer—their sound is quite huge despite not having vocals or a bassist.  They formed in 2019 and released an EP in 2023.  As far as I know, this is their first full length album, entitled, “ Pangaea .” I’m impressed at how heavy this album is but is still able to maintain a free-flowing instrumental ride.  It’s quite dynamic and there are a lot of little details across the album that demand repeated listens.  However, with that being said, it isn’t a complicated album but instead focuses on being fun listening with depth, sans the pretentiousness.  Not having a bass guitar does nothing to soften their blow as Guillaume still has that all important low end–the guitars are toned perfectly to accommodate such needs.  Romuald ’s drums are a rhythm machine, both beastly and clever all at once.  “ Batagad’ka ,”...

Warcoe is a doom metal band from Italy, who formed in 2021. Despite being only a few years old, the band is already dropping their third full-length album “ Upon Tall Thrones .”  Warcoe 's sound is pretty straightforward but there is a clarity in how focused their sound is. They are doom and are here to play it. It isn't an extreme form of the genre but neither is it a copycat clone of anything else.  Their sound has a modern heaviness; the tone of the instruments are a lot more biting instead of being stopped in a 70's worship phase. It isn't so much as stoner as it is a crushing boulder, the album having a stark nastiness to it at times that is a little sludge. The production/mix is an element that stands out to me. It isn't raw by any means, but it isn't flashy or overproduced. If anything, it has a natural, organic feel to it which is something I always appreciate especially for this style of doom. The album begins with “ Octagon ,” and its big riffs.  The ...

Cosmic Reape r is a stoner doom metal band from Charlotte, North Carolina who formed in 2017.  Their latest release, “ Bleed The Wicked, Drown The Damned ,” is their second full-length album; they have also released an EP, demo, and a split album. This is my first experience with Cosmic Reaper, but I am impressed.  The riffs are gargantuan, like some kind of hulk Kaju in musical form.  With each song, the guitars and bass rip my ears open, deepening the hole to my brain.  While I was headbanging, my brain was vibrating but such is the sacrifice us doom metal fans wholeheartedly embrace.  According to their Metallum page, they have three guitarists in addition to a bassist.  They certainly use this quad attack to a very effective nature—this is one of the heaviest non-extreme metal albums I’ve heard all year.   I like the atmosphere a whole lot too—it’s perfect for the upcoming Fall weather.  It’s also psychedelic and a little horrific…. this ...