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Who would have thought that doom metal still had the power to surprise me. For a genre that's mainly based on a slow tempo and monolithic riffs, several bands still manage to create something unique and highly versatile. Every metalhead knows that there's a lot of variation in the genre. After all, Candlemass, My Dying Bride, Conan and Electric Wizard differ a lot from each other and the sludge genre has surely had a huge impact on that multiformity in recent years.
Today I'd like to introduce Pendulous, band from Los Angeles. This American city was also the birthplace of doom gods Saint Vitus and many other bands. So it's no wonder that Pendulous has a serious background in doom metal. Even more so, they manage to incorporate the diversity of the genre in only one album and include even some more influences. So get ready for an amazing ride with a highly talented band.
The album opens with some spoken word, guided by clean guitars and minor drones. In fact, this is one of the longest intros I've ever heard. Yet, in perfect doom tradition, the following songs are even longer. 'A Faltering Will' immediately reminds me of My Dying Bride. Melodic doom with clean vocals and grunts bring me right back into the nineties. The tempo remains crushingly low but the song has a splendid drive and a brilliant atmosphere.
Then, suddenly, in '40 Years' the blast beats and black metal riffs appear. This is one intense beast of a song, the fastest on this album. Once the blast beats and the brutality fade away, this song starts reminding me of some old school goth rock bands, right before a lengthy instrumental post-rock passage comes up. The influence of post-rock is very present on several of the remaining songs on this album, which makes 'Hibernal Sun' an amazing track. Here too spoken word pasages are used.
'Closure' returns the old school doom metal sound and incorporates the same strong vocals as 'Pendant World', which is actually an excellent dark rock ballad that Anathema could have written. The album closes with another piece of spoken word, this time accompanied with piano and beautiful post-rock elements. It's a perfect closer for a brilliant album like this one.
In all, I can honestly say that this is one of the best doom metal albums I've had the chance to review for this webzine. I'll end this writing by once again expressing my hope for a live performance anytime soon. On stage, this music becomes absolutely magical if played as convincing as through my speakers in my living room.
Serge
Today I'd like to introduce Pendulous, band from Los Angeles. This American city was also the birthplace of doom gods Saint Vitus and many other bands. So it's no wonder that Pendulous has a serious background in doom metal. Even more so, they manage to incorporate the diversity of the genre in only one album and include even some more influences. So get ready for an amazing ride with a highly talented band.
The album opens with some spoken word, guided by clean guitars and minor drones. In fact, this is one of the longest intros I've ever heard. Yet, in perfect doom tradition, the following songs are even longer. 'A Faltering Will' immediately reminds me of My Dying Bride. Melodic doom with clean vocals and grunts bring me right back into the nineties. The tempo remains crushingly low but the song has a splendid drive and a brilliant atmosphere.
Then, suddenly, in '40 Years' the blast beats and black metal riffs appear. This is one intense beast of a song, the fastest on this album. Once the blast beats and the brutality fade away, this song starts reminding me of some old school goth rock bands, right before a lengthy instrumental post-rock passage comes up. The influence of post-rock is very present on several of the remaining songs on this album, which makes 'Hibernal Sun' an amazing track. Here too spoken word pasages are used.
'Closure' returns the old school doom metal sound and incorporates the same strong vocals as 'Pendant World', which is actually an excellent dark rock ballad that Anathema could have written. The album closes with another piece of spoken word, this time accompanied with piano and beautiful post-rock elements. It's a perfect closer for a brilliant album like this one.
In all, I can honestly say that this is one of the best doom metal albums I've had the chance to review for this webzine. I'll end this writing by once again expressing my hope for a live performance anytime soon. On stage, this music becomes absolutely magical if played as convincing as through my speakers in my living room.
Serge