Doomed For Metal Reviews

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 Sleepy 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 the ...

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 ...

Slomatics is a doom metal band from Northern Ireland who formed in 2004.  Their latest release, “ Atomicult ,” is their 8th full-length album; they have also released 11 splits, two live albums and an EP.  Despite their length of service and sizable discography, I’m not super familiar with Slomatics ’ music, having previously only heard their prior album, “ Strontium Fields .”  I wasn’t a huge fan of that one, to be honest, but after “ Atomicult ,” dropped into my inbox, I figured I enjoyed the previous effort enough to give this one at least a listen or two.   I’m glad I did because “ Atomicult ,” is a very interesting album.  Obviously, it is a heavy album considering it fits firmly into the world of doom metal.  It isn’t extreme doom but it’s intense all the same.  It’s also a mindfuck of an album with a lot of atmospheric passages that are as enthralling and enveloping as their heavier side.  The most impressive aspect of this album is t...

Horror Within is a death metal band from France who formed in 2019. Their latest album, "Soul Awakening" is their debut album; they have also released an EP. I was surprised by how good this album is. I shouldn't be, though, considering it is from Dolorem Records , who always prize quality over quantity (as one should) but “ Soul Awakening ” is an exceptionally well written album with a few surprises here and there. It can be dynamic too and I wasn't always sure what the songs would bring.  Of course, there are some elements that are guaranteed. Crushing riffs, violent rhythms and death growls abound—even with taking this album at face value, there is nothing any fan of extreme metal could find weak. When the band goes for broke and all these elements come together, their sound truly feels encompassing and even surreal.  With 8 songs at just over the 36 minute mark, it is the perfect length for multiple listens. It is from those multiple listens where the album begi...