Old Night - Mediterranean Melancholy

Old Night is a doom metal band from Croatia, who formed in 2015.  Their latest album, “Mediterranean Melancholy,” is their fourth-full length album.   I discovered the band when I reviewed their second album, “A Fracture In The Human Soul,” back when I wrote for Metal Temple.  I didn’t review their second album, “in my attention like their previous efforts.

So, what of “Mediterranean Melancholy?” I’m happy to report that this one ups their game is perhaps their best album yet!  With this new album, they have perfected a balance between traditional doom, melancholic textures, and, of course, being heavy as hell.

The production and mix are both amazing.  The whole album sounds deep and whole while giving each instrument plenty of breathing room.  The result is the album sounding full and alive, very encompassing. The tone of the instruments is insane.  Each one is ultra dense with a lot of power behind each guitar strum and drum hit.  This is definitely one of the best sounding albums I heard in all of 2025.  

But some things have changed in the band’s camp for this release.  This album introduces Ivan as the lead vocalist, following the departure of his mother Matej.   Luka is still providing the death growls as well–he still sounds in fine form and, as always, I wish his vocals were utilized more often. 

With that being said, I certainly won’t complain about the album leaning more towards clean because Ivan sounds amazing.  His clean croons are full of powerful emotion and he has a fantastic balance between a clean shout and falsetto yell.  He sings his ass off on this album, full stop.

The album opens with “Homebound,” and is immediately aglow with melancholy that is both sad yet oddly serene.  The vocal harmonies are mesmerizing, as are the riffs with sound absolutely menacing in places.   The drumming is smart, Nikola hitting exactly when and where he needs to do so.  Luka’s bass is just as dark as his growls and always provides a hefty low end to make the songs sound doom as hell even when they are at their most fleeting.   Rafael and Bojan join Ivan with their guitars. Having three certainly adds to the lush, dense soundscapes found here.  

“Chasing Yesterdays,” utilizes the three-prong attack well with an opening consisting of dual melodies and a rock-hard foundation for them to launch their attack. Ivan’s sullen, deep cleans have a Gothic touch to them and add so much to the song.  After a catchy chorus during the 4-and-a-half-minute mark, the band hammers on a woe filled dirge that rides out until after the 7-minute mark.  It’s awesome, simple as that. 

“Stormbirds,” is perhaps my favorite on the album.  Once again offering up reasons to have three guitarists, the opening moments are such a well-written composition.  The clean vocals and ashy vocals give the song a ghostly, mysterious feel. The chorus kicks the song up a couple notches, the rhythm and bass getting a change to lay down mean crunches.  I do love how this band mostly plays their music at a slow tempo, able to fully embrace the genre tropes while still keeping it interesting the entire time.

Speaking of ghostly, “Ghosts,” immediately fills the air with longing and sorrow.  The vocal cadences are catchy while displaying the emotional range needed to let this song really hit right in the feels.  This band has always been good at making music that feels depressing yet comes off as somewhat beautiful and this song really drives that in places, especially the solos.

The final song, “The Loneliness of Lighthouse Keepers,” ends the album strongly.  This is story telling in a way that only doom metal can do.  The vocals are so goddamn well done on this song, both the first half then in the later half when the cleans and growls go at it together.  The guitar melodies/harmonies are mesmerizing as well.   

All in all, Old Night’s “Mediterranean Melancholy,” is a superb example of how a band can embrace the emotive side of the genre while still providing a heavy framework.

Rating:  Excellent