Review: Leechfeast “Neon Crosses”

Leechfeast “Neon Crosses”
Dry Cough Records / Rope Or Guillotine

A sluggish and vile album of obscure Doom Metal born from the fertile soil of false salvation, wounds left by expectations and refusal to let things go, all illuminated by the flicker of the streetlight.

Born from the fertile soil of false salvation, wounds left by expectations and refusal to let things go, all illuminated by the flicker of the streetlight, and featuring a freakish artwork by Horrid Habits, Neon Crosses is the brand new opus by Slovenian Sludge/Doom Metal quartet Leechfeast, the band’s second full-length release and their first new material since the 2015 split EP with Meth Drinker. Comprised of four songs over the span of 37 minutes, Neon Crosses has all the elements you crave in sluggish and obscure Doom Metal, cementing the name of Leechfeast as one of the most promising acts of the independent scene not only in their homeland but also among all fans of the genre worldwide.

Although it might not be easy to define the music by this Slovenian band formed in 2010 in only a few words, there’s a short and sweet explanation to their music that in my opinion matches their sound to perfection. “Take the madness of decaying urban jungle, endless nights without sleep, strange dreams that you remain thinking about through the next day, chronic back pain, cramped up stomach, pathethic porcelain faces around you with a permanent smile, the fact that you can relate to the cat that lives with you more than you can to other people, years of repressed aggression that needs to get out badly and strange relief and atraction to something you can’t really describe when you’re walking in the nature at night. Now, throw in a good dose of weird cinema and mix it with sounds rangeing from Portishead to Grief and you will probably end up with something simillar to Leechfeast.” Hence, are you ready to face the thunderous roars by Leechfeast after such beautiful words?

Darkened Black Sabbath-inspired sounds and an eerie voice ignite the somber tune Sacrosanct, before guitarist Jaka Bolic and drummer Hans Wubs start blasting sluggish, devilish and rumbling noises perfect for lead singer Jaka Vatovec to keep gnarling in a truly anguished way. And that uncanny ambience goes on and on with the sound of guitar getting dirtier and more obscure as the music evolves until its crushing finale. Hans keeps smashing his drums in another feast of Doom and Sludge Metal titled Halogen, and don’t expect their music to speed up or get any happier than what it is; quite the contrary, there’s a dark shadow over Leechfeast and they will continue their path to the underworld with this modern-day funeral march-inspired hymn, with Jaka Vatovec sounding more demonic than ever on vocals.

The following tune, entitled Tar, will offer you old school Doom Metal infused with blackened riffs and the most lingering beats you can think of, also presenting perturbing and distorted noises and nuances that fell like coming directly from the pits of hell. Furthermore, that heavy and dense ambience generated by Leechfeast permeates the air until there’s no way back, consuming our thoughts and souls like a carnivore beast. And lastly, their vile and creepy Doom Metal arises again in the resonant closing tune Razor Nest, with Jaka’s vocals getting more introspective and dense as if he’s leading a black mass, while his bandmates deliver sheer melancholy and obscurity through their sharp instruments, in special bassist Jure Sajn with his beyond reverberating lines. Put differently, the album couldn’t have ended in a more disorienting manner.

Can you feel all that darkness and consternation growing inside you after listening to Neon Crosses? If you truly enjoy that wicked feeling disturbing your inner peace, go check what Leechfeast are up to on Facebook, including tour dates and other shenanigans, and don’t forget to buy your copy of Neon Crosses from their official BandCamp, or from the Dry Cough Records’ BandCamp or webstore. Then (and only then) you’ll be ready to experience a sonic feast of damned leeches crawling inside your ears until they reach your mind and slowly but vigorously blacken your thoughts forevermore.

Best moments of the album: Tar.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2018 Dry Cough Records / Rope Or Guillotine

Track listing
1.Sacrosanct 9:24
2.Halogen 8:02
3.Tar 10:31
4.Razor Nest 9:05

Band members
Jaka Vatovec – vocals
Jaka Bolic – guitars
Jure Sajn – bass
Hans Wubs – drums