doom metal
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Long ago, I often roamed in the coalmine regions of Belgian Limburg. There was quite a decent rock and metal scene in that province, and there still is today. I've witnessed many bands rise from the black mountains (that's exactly what the name of the hamlet 'Zwartberg' means by the way). Yet, I've rarely encountered anything as powerful and fascinating as Bathsheba.
My first encounter with Bathsheba was through Jelle, who also punishes the drums in Sardonis. Shortly after, we published a first video. Recently they became one of the absolute highlights at Desertfest Belgium and now I'm being dragged into their pitch black darkness again, thanks to this brilliant ep. Besides Jelle, Bathsheba constists of members from SerpentCult and Death Penalty, certainly bands with a solid reputation in the Belgian metal scene.
Musically Bathsheba stands for high quality occult doom metal. Monolithic riffs and deep drums support the haunted chants of Michelle. I actually couldn't imagine a better vocalist than Michelle for this band. Her strong, self-assured vocals fit perfectly with the mighty power of these riffs. The combination reminds me of something between Jex Thoth and Saint Vitus. Both tracks on this 10" are hypnotic pieces of doom metal which very few fans of the genre could resist.
'The Sleepless Gods' alternates the power of the riff with a decent load of melody. Traditionally, the tempo is slow, the sound is thick and heavy and the atmosphere is gloomy. It's like walking in a foggy forest while unidentified pagan tribes are preparing their feast. 'Daughter of the Oath' is equally dark and eerie, although it raises the tempo a bit. I can't pick a favorite though, since both songs are just awesome examples of traditional doom metal.
Bathsheba are currently working on their first full-length which should be released in 2016. If that album is anything like this ep, I can already predict that it will end up in my best-of-2016 list. However, for now, let's enjoy this gem for a while because it's one of the best doom metal releases our country has ever came up with...
Serge
My first encounter with Bathsheba was through Jelle, who also punishes the drums in Sardonis. Shortly after, we published a first video. Recently they became one of the absolute highlights at Desertfest Belgium and now I'm being dragged into their pitch black darkness again, thanks to this brilliant ep. Besides Jelle, Bathsheba constists of members from SerpentCult and Death Penalty, certainly bands with a solid reputation in the Belgian metal scene.
Musically Bathsheba stands for high quality occult doom metal. Monolithic riffs and deep drums support the haunted chants of Michelle. I actually couldn't imagine a better vocalist than Michelle for this band. Her strong, self-assured vocals fit perfectly with the mighty power of these riffs. The combination reminds me of something between Jex Thoth and Saint Vitus. Both tracks on this 10" are hypnotic pieces of doom metal which very few fans of the genre could resist.
'The Sleepless Gods' alternates the power of the riff with a decent load of melody. Traditionally, the tempo is slow, the sound is thick and heavy and the atmosphere is gloomy. It's like walking in a foggy forest while unidentified pagan tribes are preparing their feast. 'Daughter of the Oath' is equally dark and eerie, although it raises the tempo a bit. I can't pick a favorite though, since both songs are just awesome examples of traditional doom metal.
Bathsheba are currently working on their first full-length which should be released in 2016. If that album is anything like this ep, I can already predict that it will end up in my best-of-2016 list. However, for now, let's enjoy this gem for a while because it's one of the best doom metal releases our country has ever came up with...
Serge
