Suffering - Things Seen but Always Hidden

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Suffering is a black/doom metal band from United Kingdom who formed in 2012. “Things Seen but Always Hidden,” is their second full-length album; they have also released two EPs.

Blackened Doom is always a treat to my ears—the downtrodden nature of extreme doom pairs perfectly (or is that imperfectly?) with the natural misanthropic of black metal.

Suffering's brand is quite convincing due in large part to not being afraid of switching the tempo up past what doom normally wrestles with but, at the same time, they are never more convincing than when they slow it down to a dismal crawl to let their horrific brand of misery get really dirty.

The production is exactly what I want for music of this type: not truly raw but definitely gritty and cold as the grave.

But the mix is on point too. Check out the opening moments of “The House with the Red Door.” The clean toned ebb and flow with a bottomless depth that is just as stark as the metal passages.

The band doesn't mind letting songs build up either, as evident by this one's long intro. The buildup makes the pay off of the blackened fury all the more potent.

“The Chamber Of Breathtaking Delights,” begins mysterious and ritualistic. The clean instruments and atmospheric drumming sets the mood before a melodic guitar passage brings the band to the forefront. The vocals are pretty damn vicious too but it’s the slow, stalking rhythms that really grabbed me. The lead guitar goes a long way in extending the grasp of the horrific atmosphere too.

“Apocrypha Through The Keyhole,” has an unique vibe to it, what with the bass line and drums kicking off the song in its burgeoning moments. Just a little over the halfway mark, the song kicks into visceral blackened mode, trading sullen tones for aggressive tendencies. The subtle lead guitar notes near the end cap the song off perfectly with the final screams ripping through the darkness.

The final song “Behind The Green Door,” is my favorite on the album. I like the Gothic feel it invokes in the beginning and the drumming hits at just the times, accenting the song in a big way. The vocals are crazy and even expressive in places, something we need more of in the black metal world. 

All in all, Suffering's “Things Seen but Always Hidden,” is a solid album that represents thr blackened doom genre well, and perhaps even expands on it a little. 

Rating: Great



 



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