On this particular release this French project basically amounts to a one-man show along with a session bassist. As I was hoping based on the band name and general aesthetic of the release, this is punishing doom metal just the way it should be. Thick growling vocals or low spoken lines, tasteful background synths, simple drumbeats, plodding chord progressions, a depressing and bleak atmosphere... imagine a stripped down My Dying Bride circa "Turn Loose the Swans" without the extra strings and whatnot and this would be close to the result. Of course the songs are quite long (around 10 minutes each) and sway to and fro with some calmer breaks with clean guitars that change up the dynamics from distorted passages and let a spacious reverb shine through. The songs flow excellently together and almost create the impression that the entire record is one constantly evolving composition. "Serenity in Darkness" is my favorite track, as it even brings in some slight hints at singing, and the riffs are constantly changing and shifting effortlessly between crushing rhythms and melodic clean notes. I really like the recording on this thing as well. Considering that the majority of this was all handled by one individual it sounds excellent. The guitars and bass fuse together to form a seamless wall of sound, the vocals are mixed in with the instruments nicely, the keyboards never become overpowering, etc. I can't tell if the drums are live or programmed as they sound slightly thin, but they do sound pretty good either way. (If they are machines, they actually sound excellent considering.) The overall production is very resonant and conveys the emotions of the music well. I really like the packaging as the digipack and booklet both keep a consistent look as far as color and bleakness of imagery, and the selection of typefaces is very nice as well. The lyrics aren't bad, it's somewhat generic doom and gloom, depressing sort of stuff, but I've seen worse. I'd prefer it were the lyrics a bit more creative to better fit the tone of the music, but I appreciate what they're going for no matter the case. This is one of the best doom CD's I've heard in years. Fans of the genre would be absolutely foolish not to track this down right away. Very nice.
[Haceldama]
Running time - 64:26, Tracks: 6
[Notable tracks: Serenity in Darkness, Stellar Ways to the Everliving, Moonlight Suicide]
Haceldama Productions - http://www.haceldama.com
