Formed by Sorrows Path co-founder Kostas Salomidis, nascent Greek epic doom metal trio Distorted Reflection are so new that they don’t even have a Metallum profile up yet. Established in 2022, the young band follows Kostas’ vision of epic doom metal after nearly thirty years with his original band. With only upcoming record Doom Rules Eternally under their belt, it’s hard to tell at this point what the future of that vision looks like. That said, with songs as catchy and endearing as these nine, it holds great potential.
Naturally, Distorted Reflection sounds remarkably similar to Sorrows Path on the surface—right down to each’s charming, heavily accented vocals. Tightly written, catchy, and chunky tunes form the backbone of each band’s repertoire, handily appealing to fans of Sorcerer and Candlemass. The most notable deviation Distorted Reflection takes from Sorrows Path’s application of the epic doom blueprint, dalliances with lightly progressive time signatures and slithering vocal lines give way to lusty trad/ heavy gallops, shreddy solos, and no-nonsense, straightforward songwriting. At a lean and lithe thirty-six minutes, Doom Rules Eternally defies the protracted runtimes of many modern epic doom opuses, instead opting for an infectious, easily digestible, and infinitely replayable collection.
With opener “Mr. Snake,” Distorted Reflection showcase their long-running pedigree of powerful, chest-pumping, epic doom. A remarkably strong opening salvo for this fledgling group, many of the album’s core attributes make their entrance here. Kostas’ endearing accent shoves through his gutsy, powerhouse baritone, backed by his groovy riffs and rocking solos (“Ring of Fire,” “Colours”). Vangelis Yalamas’ thrumming bass deliver ample heft to these perhaps overly simple, but effective structures, embellished with largely tasteful synth work in the background (“The Eternal Gate”). Last but not least, Stelios Pavlou’s effective, minimalist performance on the kit brings high levels of swagger to the whole affair (“Colours,” “Victim of Fate”). As the record progresses, memorable choruses, marching beats, and headbangable riffage abound. “Ring of Fire,” “Colours,” and “Cassandra” all offer great examples of each, “Cassandra” especially boasting the most dynamic songwriting of the bunch. Almost fooling me by playing the ballad card early on, “Cassandra” picks up steam in short order, creating a great surprise pick-me-up—not to mention one of the record’s best solos—that brings a shot of momentum to the back end of the record.
There’s a lot to love in Distorted Reflection’s debut, but there’s a near-equal number of things that don’t always work. Kostas’ affected vocals won me over very quickly, his powerhouse upper range unexpectedly solid. However, as the record continues, ESL lyrical fumbles and Kostas’ inexplicable tendency to limit himself to his lower midrange wear down my interest somewhat. While never enough of an issue to dispel the record’s charm outright, some of the cheesier songs like “Dark Mermaid,” “Twilight Zone,” and “Ghosts of Mind” do challenge my enjoyment as those aforementioned vocal concerns compound with a preponderance of muddy synths, oddly abrupt conclusions that disrupt album flow, and lackluster transitions between verse and chorus, respectively. As an added nitpick, there are moments where I question some of the mixing decisions made here. Kostas’ vocals seem too far forward in the mix, which causes many consonant sounds such as “ts” and “ch” to pierce harshly against the instrumental backdrop. There are similar instances in the drum mixing, which seem far too up front in “Cassandra” to evoke the delicate introduction that I believe the band intended. These are small mixing concerns easily ignored during initial listens, of course. However, they become more noticeable with greater time invested, so it might be something worth noting for future releases nonetheless.
All in all, Doom Rules Eternally never lost its charm during the two weeks I spent with it. It’s been a loyal work and gym companion, keeping me motivated and engaged for the most part. It’s been a worthwhile choice for focused spins as well, fun enough to get my head banging without trying my patience too much. Consequently, I believe Distorted Reflection holds great potential. It’s just a matter of realizing that potential going forward—working out the kinks in the armor will go a long way towards that goal. As is, Doom Rules Eternally is a decent, but flawed, epic doom record that will likely satisfy fans of the style, but won’t exceed expectations beyond that threshold.
Rating: Mixed
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Iron Shield Records
Website: facebook.com/distortedreflectiondoom
Releases Worldwide: February 9th, 2024
