doom / heavy metal
|
check out our shirts
|
Last year, I reviewed a tape, titled 'Fuck You, We're Lucifer's Fall'. It was an aggressive heap of vintage doom metal, covered in a pink sheet (but you can read all about that here). Now, these Australians return with a full-length that simply won't stop kicking your nutsack. This one is called 'II- Cursed & Damned ' and it basically contains the same elements as its predecessor. However, this one shows the evolution this band has made over the past twelve months.
When I mention "the same ingredients", I'm talking about references. I can hear influences from bands like Candlemass, Type O Negative, Voivod, Reverend Bizarre and - of course - Black Sabbath. The majority of the songs are old school sounding doom metal tracks, here and there enhanced with influences from heavy metal, thrash metal and hardcore punk, the latter mostly in the fast songs.
Yes, there are a few fast songs. In fact, opener 'Mother Superior' is an uptempo rocker that caused me to add the tag "heavy metal" on top of this review. The often use of dual lead guitars reminds me a bit of old Iron Maiden on a stoner rock trip. Is that good? Well, of course it is. It rocks and that's all a self respecting metalhead needs. 'Damnation' is a classic and epic doom metal anthem, followed by one of my favorites on this album, 'The Mountains Of Madness'.
Funny thing is, in both songs, lyrically, a lot "will rise", from Lucifer over chaos to the mountains. Personally, I would have placed both songs a bit further apart on this record but perhaps I'm just overthinking things. A bit further down the album, we find the awesome punk rocker 'Fuck You, We're Lucifer's Fall', a blasting headbanger of a song that still reminds me me Type O Negative's 'Kill All The White People' and smashes every point of criticism about this full-length.
That being said, yes, this is a damn varied album, something the doom metal scene rarely seems to produce. I have to admit, I had my doubts at first but the album seems to grow on the listener. Besides, it contains magistral beauty (in 'The Necromancer'), along with sheer aggression. Then, there is the mid tempo blues doomer 'Sacrifice'. For some reason, the words "this needs more cowbell" come to mind when I listen to this one.
Anyway, after a few listens I'm convinced that this is a damn good album, delivered by a solid , attuned and headstrong metal band that dares looking over their genre boundaries. So I can only recommend this thing to all you doomers and old schoolers out there. Check it out, and then check it out again. Have a beer, raise your fists and accept Lucifer's Fall in your heart (and cd shelf). You know you want to...
Serge
When I mention "the same ingredients", I'm talking about references. I can hear influences from bands like Candlemass, Type O Negative, Voivod, Reverend Bizarre and - of course - Black Sabbath. The majority of the songs are old school sounding doom metal tracks, here and there enhanced with influences from heavy metal, thrash metal and hardcore punk, the latter mostly in the fast songs.
Yes, there are a few fast songs. In fact, opener 'Mother Superior' is an uptempo rocker that caused me to add the tag "heavy metal" on top of this review. The often use of dual lead guitars reminds me a bit of old Iron Maiden on a stoner rock trip. Is that good? Well, of course it is. It rocks and that's all a self respecting metalhead needs. 'Damnation' is a classic and epic doom metal anthem, followed by one of my favorites on this album, 'The Mountains Of Madness'.
Funny thing is, in both songs, lyrically, a lot "will rise", from Lucifer over chaos to the mountains. Personally, I would have placed both songs a bit further apart on this record but perhaps I'm just overthinking things. A bit further down the album, we find the awesome punk rocker 'Fuck You, We're Lucifer's Fall', a blasting headbanger of a song that still reminds me me Type O Negative's 'Kill All The White People' and smashes every point of criticism about this full-length.
That being said, yes, this is a damn varied album, something the doom metal scene rarely seems to produce. I have to admit, I had my doubts at first but the album seems to grow on the listener. Besides, it contains magistral beauty (in 'The Necromancer'), along with sheer aggression. Then, there is the mid tempo blues doomer 'Sacrifice'. For some reason, the words "this needs more cowbell" come to mind when I listen to this one.
Anyway, after a few listens I'm convinced that this is a damn good album, delivered by a solid , attuned and headstrong metal band that dares looking over their genre boundaries. So I can only recommend this thing to all you doomers and old schoolers out there. Check it out, and then check it out again. Have a beer, raise your fists and accept Lucifer's Fall in your heart (and cd shelf). You know you want to...
Serge
