I have been listening to lots of doom lately, due to winter and weather and I just feel like it. Destronomer are hailing from far away Sydney, Australia, across the globe and this is their debut full length opus. This one contains eight songs. The music of Destronomer can be described as a melodic and epic doom metal with some up tempo more straightforward stoner metal influenced parts interweaving with some more psychodelic atmospheric songwriting as in excellent ‘Bin Diver’ where perfect vocal melody lines and doomy parts interplay with I would say also post metal parts and strong bass lines, but I must especially highlight vocals on this opus. Nathan Williams has such superb voice, gentle where needed, melodic and full voice which expresses all the emotions behind the music. This is a strong debut album for all of you who like your doom metal epic and melodic. My personal favorites: ‘Bin Diver’, ‘Core Fallen’, ‘Eschaton’.
Time for another band from mighty US underground scene to grace the pages of this webzine. Lord Mountain are relatively new band in the scene being formed back in 2014. They are hailing from California and after one e.p., two singles, this is their first full length opus with help of King Volume Records. This opus contains eight songs. Music of Lord Mountain is a mixture of heavy metal and doom metal, leaning more on doom side of things. Songs are epic and melodic, if I must compare it to some bands it would be Grand Magus, Crom, Candlemass even early Manowar in their doomier songs on first couple of opuses. Lyrics are more into fantasy side of things, epic war, mythological themes. Vocals are melodic but could be a bit stronger in the production, vocalist/guitarist Jesse Swanson has great voice and I think that a bit louder vocals in the overall mix could add to the dramatics of the songs. The album sounds raw and metal, but atmospheric at the same time. Songs like ‘Well Of Fates’ and ‘The Giant’ are doom/heavy anthems, topped with instrumental quick intermezzo ‘Beyond The Frozen Sea’ which kind of leads us to second half of the album with epic ‘The Last Crossing’ which starts as more straightforward faster heavy metal song and then evolves like butterfly from caterpillar to doom with epic solo in the end. ‘Chasm Of Time’ has most eerie and haunting melody vocal lines of all songs on this opus and has beautiful chorus and guitar work reminding of NWOBHM influences. This is a band which shows how can you make varied, interesting and strong debut opus.
Living Monstrosity are hailing from UK and this is band’s fourth full length opus since being formed in 2010. Living Monstrosity play that UK school of death metal, old school death metal, but with added black metal influences in some guitar work, blast beats and atmosphere in songs, like combination of all those glorious UK death bands for example Benediction, Memoriam, Bolt Thrower, Napalm Death whose influence is also obvious, at least I hear it in some d-beat drum song parts like for example in excellent ‘The Worst Mistake In Human History’. Vocals are growled but you can understand most what is being sung, so that is another plus for excellent singer. There are also some atmospheric, calmer parts which serve as a prelude to insanity. Lyrics deal with death and fear of death, modern slavery in corporate world, pollution, nature, radiation sickness and similar more state of the world themes rather than fantasy and gore. Also, songs I must mention as my personal favorites are ‘Gratefully Confined To The Past’ and ‘Return To The Cave’ besides above mentioned song. Great opus by great band.
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