Here is a band working through their sorrows and difficult emotions with the help of a tortured doom metal album, and with rather musically enjoyable results.
The overall sound of the album is slow, anguished, melancholic funeral doom metal, but it manages to develop an identity of its own, away from stereotypical descriptions of doom metal. For example, rather than typical doom metal, the first track “Ånd” sounds like a slower, angstier Enslaved song, with almost choral singing and occasional harsh vocals. But its haunting and slow main riff puts it firmly in the doom metal camp. Other tracks like “Materie” use a similar style, with a lot of choral singing that makes them sound like old folk songs, and also a hint of ballad turning into a growly heavy/doom track.
You can find some other interesting little ideas in other tracks. The two tracks called “Eindring” are perfect doom metal songs, with their cold and melancholic tone, its slow heavy riff and its low, almost gothic metal-inspired singing. The second one also has some fierce growls. The best doomy track would have to be the deliciously sinister “Samarithan”, but maybe this one is the odd one out because it sounds a little different from the rest of the album. “Shades From These Wounds” is a nice piano ballad. The vocals on “Dvelen”, both singing and growls, sound really sinister. “Oppvakning” has a chorus that sounds sad and desperate and some haunting vocalizations. “Her Til Evig Tid” begins with a nice gloomy choir. “Vekst” is the heaviest and darkest track on the album.
As for my impression of the album as a whole: there seems to be a little something missing to make it sound as dark and anguished as you usually expect of funeral doom metal. But it’s not a bad album by any means. I think it works, because of the musical creativity, and the genuine melancholy and emotion. It’s an album that tries many ideas, has many moments that sound really good. The mixture of singing and growls is also pretty well done. The album manages to establish a cold and sad atmosphere. It does immerse you in its melancholy. That’s why I think it can be pretty enjoyable if you’re ready for a not very typical doom metal album. It works despite not being great or being an album you absolutely need to hear. It’s pretty good if you want to dream and get lost in a cold world.
Release date: December 10th, 2021
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