doom / sludge
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Hell yeah, Dö are back. The Finnish doom trio released 'Den' (read review) in the beginning of last year and now they throw this massive full-length in our faces. This album shows everything Dö are good at, only better. In short: this is a fierce slab of psychedelic sludge doom, the soundtrack to everything that can go wrong in your life, from heartbreak to apocalypse. Face it, a lot can go wrong, you better be prepared.
The album opens with the awesome 'Born Under Black Wings', a fierce doom metal track with harsh, fearsome grunts. It's followed by 'Everblast II (The Aftermath)', which clearly shows the Black Sabbath influences. It also shows how these guys evolved, both as musicians and as a band. They sound well-attuned and quite meticulous in their overall sound, which is brutal, aggressive and pummeling, but still majestic as fuck.
Some readers might have already read that I'm not really a fan of guitar solos, but what Big Dog blasts out of his instrument is simply awesome. They add this, oh so welcome, psychedelic effect to the music. Besides, his somewhat Eastern orientated approach in 'Ex Oblivione' is pure musical bliss. I guess this is one of my favorite tracks on this album, perhaps the least suited to bang your head but perfect to smoke a joint to, if that's what you're into.
I also really dig the bass guitar on this album. In the beginning of 'Kylmä', Hank does something brilliant, something that sounds like a tribute to Cliff Burton and Peter Steele. The rest of the song is pretty damn pounding to. Try listening to this song while watching the scene from The Ring where the girl crawls out of the television set, I dare you. Oh, and kudos to drummer Joe E. Deliverance. The 'E' stands for 'epic' and that's exactly what this album is.
They also dare to do something different, like include an acoustic ballad named 'Hail the Fire'. It's a short song but nonetheless a welcome breather after and before the sheer brutality in the rest of this album. Yes, "before" because the best is still to come. It comes in the form of the monolithic closer ' Forsaken Be Thy Name'. This song simply is stoner doom at its best, immersive and punishing. Brilliant.
I have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised by this trio. They certainly grew to the next level of doom metal by coming up with a very mature and varied sound. You can hear that they're serious about their art. The production quality is excellent, placing them among the greats in this scene. Nothing should keep Dö from grinding themselves a way to the main stages at the Desertfests, Roadburns and whatever related events you can find.
Serge
The album opens with the awesome 'Born Under Black Wings', a fierce doom metal track with harsh, fearsome grunts. It's followed by 'Everblast II (The Aftermath)', which clearly shows the Black Sabbath influences. It also shows how these guys evolved, both as musicians and as a band. They sound well-attuned and quite meticulous in their overall sound, which is brutal, aggressive and pummeling, but still majestic as fuck.
Some readers might have already read that I'm not really a fan of guitar solos, but what Big Dog blasts out of his instrument is simply awesome. They add this, oh so welcome, psychedelic effect to the music. Besides, his somewhat Eastern orientated approach in 'Ex Oblivione' is pure musical bliss. I guess this is one of my favorite tracks on this album, perhaps the least suited to bang your head but perfect to smoke a joint to, if that's what you're into.
I also really dig the bass guitar on this album. In the beginning of 'Kylmä', Hank does something brilliant, something that sounds like a tribute to Cliff Burton and Peter Steele. The rest of the song is pretty damn pounding to. Try listening to this song while watching the scene from The Ring where the girl crawls out of the television set, I dare you. Oh, and kudos to drummer Joe E. Deliverance. The 'E' stands for 'epic' and that's exactly what this album is.
They also dare to do something different, like include an acoustic ballad named 'Hail the Fire'. It's a short song but nonetheless a welcome breather after and before the sheer brutality in the rest of this album. Yes, "before" because the best is still to come. It comes in the form of the monolithic closer ' Forsaken Be Thy Name'. This song simply is stoner doom at its best, immersive and punishing. Brilliant.
I have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised by this trio. They certainly grew to the next level of doom metal by coming up with a very mature and varied sound. You can hear that they're serious about their art. The production quality is excellent, placing them among the greats in this scene. Nothing should keep Dö from grinding themselves a way to the main stages at the Desertfests, Roadburns and whatever related events you can find.
Serge
