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Listening Notes: This is Doom Metal Vol. 2

My wishy-washy and inconsistent nature has once again ruined what I said in the previous session. I’m running out of energy to keep starting things with my usual categorization method, even though that approach is clearly more organized since it keeps everything looking homogenous within the same space.

Therefore, after being left half-dead by those 20 pop/alternative/indie releases, I am returning to the six-release format for now. This time around, it features doom metal and its derivatives, heavily dominated by death/doom, sludge, and post-metal.

(0) – (0) (2017)

70/100

(0) kicks off their career with a death/doom/post-metal style that carries a progressive flair akin to Dvne, but with a colder edge that serves as a solid hook in "(1136)". They then venture into slightly wilder territory on "(338)" before wrapping up with "(441)", which fits perfectly as a doom/post-metal closer. Unfortunately, there is a 12-minute interlude, "(1212)", which serves no purpose other than expanding empty space. It would have been better if that track didn't exist at all.

Highlight: (1136), (441)

(0) – Skamhan (2024)

75/100

Danish death/doom/post-metal unit (0) dropped their debut full-length right as the global COVID pandemic hit. Compared to their previous EP, they try for a more emotional sound here, though I wasn't truly moved until "Rød Glorie" started spinning, followed by "Sjælstjæler," which delivers melodic-style riffs. The title track and the closer "Sortfugl" feel much closer to post-metal, so I can't write them off either.

Highlight: Sjælstjæler, Rød Glorie, Skamhan, Sortfugl

Black Sheep Wall – Song for the Enamel Queen (2021)

70/100

Black Sheep Wall's third album feels long—typical for sludge/post-metal—but it drags quite a bit across its four tracks clocking in at over 10 minutes: "Prayer Sheet for Wound and Nail", "Mr. Gone", "Ren", and "New Measures of Failure". On top of that, it throws in three standard-length songs. Only "Ren" truly succeeds in creating a distinct vibe, thanks to the trumpet parts woven into it.

Highlight: Ren, New Measures of Failure

Call of Pripyat – The Stone Mask of Isolation (2024)

65/100

Call of Pripyat delivers a brand of death/doom metal heavily influenced by black/sludge metal production styles. Hoarse vocals over depressing instrumentation expose an open wound on "Quietly, I Fade Away (Beneath the Ruined Statue That Wept Black Tears)", while "Aimlessly Weeping Amongst the Monotonous Corpses as the Ashes of Time Slips Betwixt My Tired Fingers (Howling Whispers of a Love Extinguised)" screams just as intensely within a sludgy funeral doom metal atmosphere. The other two tracks are unremarkable instrumentals that pass by like nothing more than a silent wind.

Highlight: Quietly, I Fade Away (Beneath the Ruined Statue That Wept Black Tears)

Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean – I Tried Catching You But You Fell Through Me, Consumed By the Vitriol of Life (2022)

60/100

Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean returns with another compilation album, this time merging two EPs: I Tried Catching You But You Fell Through Me and Consumed by the Vitriol of Life. At a glance, the screeching guitar intros on every single track irritated me, and if forced to choose, I would completely discard the filthier material from the Consumed by the Vitriol of Life half.

Highlight: Decadence in the House of Rats

Red Moon Architect – Concealed Silence (2012)

65/100

Red Moon Architect delivers a debut that actively tries to follow in the footsteps of Swallow the Sun. However, their offering lacks a certain melancholic or emotional depth to my ears. It is mostly dominated by a death/doom metal soundscape with funeral doom flourishes, as heard in "Funeral" and "Black Butterflies". That said, the most moving and memorable peak comes when "Realm" closes out the album; the female vocals act as a comforting solace after the preceding tracks.

Highlight: Black Butterflies, Realm

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