Review: FORGOTTEN TOMB “We Owe You Nothing”

FORGOTTEN TOMB “We Owe You Nothing”
Agonia records

Well, look like the Forgotten Tomb has finally grown some balls in these past years.

Of course, they are not from yesterday. Spawned back in 1999 as a one-man project by Herr Morbid in Italy firstly as a black metal project but with latter albums embraced a more doom / depressive sound in the mix.

In 2004 with Loves burial ground album Forgotten Tomb had finally became a band with members like Asher and Angol who are in the band to this day.

Like in most stable line-ups the sound was very consistent with each release.

But with We own you nothing presents a bit of a change in the musical direction of the band.  The main emphasis of this album is one big fuck you which suits the title of this 6 track record very well.

Most of the fans will perhaps scoff on this new direction but from a more outsider point of view it’s a nice change of the regular the sane album every few years. That being said, it’s still Herr Morbid and the gang. Just the format is different, but the vibe is the same.

The album is far rockier and your face but with subtle shifts into doomy passages of the older material. Just enough of the old vibe in the mix.

Production is great and in a strange way reminds of the southern bands like Down and even Crowbar during their more sludge moments. But it definitely fits songs with a big emphasis on the guitars which are the best part of the album.

Although there are just five songs, if you don’t count Black Overture which is a pretty much a outro (great one), songs have a long duration and with that more rocky, riding vibe songs go by pretty quick.

On the negative side, Herr Morbids vocal delivery can get on your nerves, like in the song Abandon Everything. For me it’s a bit too whiny but his voice is the most unchanged part of the band.  But every other song is great and worth multiple replays, just for the reason of so much going on in the songs.

My personal favorite is Saboteur which is ironically is a callback to the older works but in a more modern production. A darker, more moody song of the album and definitive standout with its beautiful melodies in the middle parts.

Fans of the their last depressive effort Hurt Yourself and the Ones You Love from 2015 may not like this album but objectively speaking this is a very solid album  of a band that musically grows with each release.