Slumber

Soliloquium – Things We Leave Behind Review

Soliloquium – Things We Leave Behind Review

By Steel Druhm on March 18, 2020 in 2020, Doom Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Rain Without End records, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Doom Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 38 comments

“Soliloquium’s sophomore album Contemplations was one of those releases I stumbled over in the promo sump and was really surprised by. This Swedish doomy melodeath act hit all the right melancholic sadboi buttons, reminding strongly of early Katatonia and Rapture without ever sounding derivative. It ended up making my Top Ten(ish) for the year and I return to it regularly. I wasn’t aware we were getting a new album this month and we didn’t get the promo until a few days before it released, thus the tardy review.” Gourmet leftovers.

Drown – Subaqueous Review

Drown – Subaqueous Review

By Steel Druhm on February 27, 2020 in 2020, American Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Prophecy Productions, Reviews, Death Metal, Funeral Doom, 40 comments

“Funeral doom was never a genre I willingly embraced or ever truly “got,” but as I grow older I seem to be finding more and more affinity for it. Perhaps that’s because I’m getting closer to picking out caskets for my own funeral, or maybe age has slowed me to the point where I can better appreciate other slow things, like turtles and the US legal system. Whatever the case may be, Subaqueous, the second album by Drown, is helping bring me around on this most niche of genres.” Death in the water.

Affasia – Adrift in Remorse Review

Affasia – Adrift in Remorse Review

By Ferrous Beuller on February 28, 2018 in 2018, American Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Reviews, Transcending Records, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 0 comments

“Here at the elucidation-station that is Angry Metal Guy, EPs usually slip beneath the review radar in favor of a meatier morsel. But it’s cutting season, dammit, and no tyrannical filthy ape tells me what to review. Virginia’s Affasia are preparing to release their debut EP, Adrift in Remorse, an offering full of doom-death and a beckoning melodic charm — and when the sad-boy signals, you best believe I answer the call.” Late winter feelz.

Ocean of Grief – Nightfall’s Lament Review

Ocean of Grief – Nightfall’s Lament Review

By Steel Druhm on January 22, 2018 in 2018, Doom Metal, Greek Metal, Melodic Death Metal, Naturmacht Productions, Reviews, Doom Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 40 comments

“As a card-carrying member of the unpaid, overworked Metal Reviewer’s Guild, I’m forced to squeeze my music listening into the small deadly spaces between a full-time job, commuting, family responsibilities and the oft heard of, seldom experienced phenomenon of sleep. This means a goodly portion of my time with any given album is spent while riding trains and subways to and fro New York City. Rare are the albums that allow me to press play and drift away into sonic bliss, removed from my commuting tedium as I’m transported to a new world. Greek upstarts Ocean of Grief have given me just such an album with their brilliant debut, Nightfall’s Lament.” Last train to Sad Town.

October Tide – Winged Waltz Review

October Tide – Winged Waltz Review

By Steel Druhm on April 19, 2016 in Agonia Records, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Gothic Metal, Swedish Metal, Death Metal, Doom Metal, 11 comments

“It’s been a while since a doom/death album graced my overloaded promo bin, and as a tried and true sad-boy, I was quite stoked to see October Tide’s fifth album, Winged Waltz arrive. Formed by Katatonia ex-pats Fredrik Norrman and and Jonas Renkse, the band has long made it their practice to take elements of early Katatonia material like Brave Murder Day and mix it with the classic doom/death of Rapture and early Paradise Lost. This led to some stunning moments and others that were inexplicably less inspiring.” Turn those frowns even further down.

Enshine – Singularity Review

Enshine – Singularity Review

By Steel Druhm on October 15, 2015 in 2015, Melodic Death Metal, Rain Without End records, Reviews, Swedish Metal, Melodic Death Metal, 88 comments

“Winter is coming, and when the cold reaches my home and hearth, it’s time to break out the top-shelf sad boy melodic doom-death and spin it until Odin renews the world and grants primacy to the sun once more. As the low winter sun encroaches, one of the first bands into the depressive breach is the long defunct but truly excellent Rapture. A close second is the even longer defunct Slumber. The latter released but one brilliant album (Fallout) before imploding, and said album went on to be tragically overlooked.” The Sleeper of Slumber has awakened!