Evoken

Altar of Betelgeuze – Echoes Review

Altar of Betelgeuze – Echoes Review

Echoes is the quartet’s third full-length since the act’s conception in 2010. While featuring the armaments and cavernous bellows of Incantation or Winter, it also is armed with a stoner doom fuzz and vocal influence from Candlemass. However, you can be sure that the “married iguana” haze does not subtract from Altar of Betelgeuze’s intention of crushing your skull in.” Betelgeuze!

Convocation – No Dawn for the Caliginous Night Review

Convocation – No Dawn for the Caliginous Night Review

“In the wretched realms of death metal, Finland’s Lauri Laaksonen is a known commodity. After a five-year stint in Sear, LL, as he’s credited on most liner notes, founded the beastly Desolate Shrine in 2010. We here at AMG have for the most part fawned in a most undignified manner over that project’s output. On the strength of that discography alone, LL could hold his head high among his most celebrated death metal contemporaries. But his impact on the genre doesn’t end there. Since 2018, LL has released some of the very finest slabs of demoralizing deathly doom in recent memory through his band Convocation.” Dark days in Finland.

Adversvm – Vama Marga Review

Adversvm – Vama Marga Review

“As Angry Metal Guy’s resident funeral doom metal kitty, it’s usually my responsibility to clench my grubby murder mittens on all things slow and murky. Lately, though, due to forces outside my control, all the good stuff is usually grabbed by the time I even get to our promo sump. This time around, Vama Marga, the third album by German funeral doom quintet Adversvm, was staring me in the face with no takers! Funeral doom… with the keyboardist of Evoken, no less!” Morose opportunities.

Funeral – Praesentialis in Aeternum Review

Funeral – Praesentialis in Aeternum Review

“December is the month where my favorite beers and coffee beverages make their welcome reappearance, and all is right with the world once more. Also making their welcome reappearance? Long-dormant Norwegian doom legends, Funeral. When we last heard from them, it was 2012’s Oratorium, but with a new label and members, how does Praesentialis in Aeternum stack up against their legendary classics?” Funeral for Christmas.

WORM – Foreverglade Review

WORM – Foreverglade Review

“Over a year and a half ago, Floridian band WORM released Gloomlord, a funeral/death doom album that marked a left turn for the former black metal outfit. I found it below average. Remarkably, my proclamation of its deficiencies wasn’t enough to keep others from enjoying it. The absolute fucking nerve. An inordinate number of other metal polymaths in the blogosphere sang its dolorous praises to the point that I wondered if maybe I had been mistaken, as rare an occurrence as that may be. When follow-up Foreverglade was announced, I decided to revisit Gloomlord, and I found it…about the same. Two good tracks and three duds. As I hit play on Foreverglade, I mentally prepared to be the bearer of bad reviews a second time.” The WORM has turned.

Fuoco Fatuo – Obsidian Katabasis Review

Fuoco Fatuo – Obsidian Katabasis Review

“In the case of funeral doom, I’ve run across several people telling me that Skepticism and Moss are the best funeral doom out there, followed by warnings to stay away from Catacombs and Until Death Overtakes Me. What happened? Neither Skepticism nor Moss stuck with me, and I routinely return to Catacombs and Until Death Overtakes Me. With a style as minimalistic as funeral doom, everyone will react differently to the same slab of concrete-thick, 20-BPM riffs, and will entirely depend on the atmosphere it provides.” Journey to the center of Katabasis.

Atramentus – Stygian Review

Atramentus – Stygian Review

“Bearing the “gift” of immortality bestowed to him by the God’s sword, a lone knight trudges across the land, snow crunching beneath his feet with every heavy, weary step. After witnessing the death of the sun and thus all life on Earth perishing, he’s left with no choice but to travel the frozen lands alone, forcing him to recall painful memories of the loss of those he loved, forever trapped under miles upon miles of ice. Now that’s a hefty premise for a debut album, and it would take an equally hefty delivery to even give it a whiff of justice.” Sun No))).

Convocation – Ashes Coalesce Review

Convocation – Ashes Coalesce Review

“Yes, I still write here. In fact, nothing can draw me out of seclusion quite like the promise of some quality Finnish extremity. In 2018, I had the good fortune to cover Convocation, a newly established entity of funereal death-doom. Desolate Shrine mastermind L.L joined forces with Dark Buddha Rising vocalist M. Neuman to pour all of their grief into one bereft body of work, and the results were profound. Now, the universal wailing wall stands ready to receive yet another cascade of condemnation.” Ash kicking.

Temple of Void – The World That Was Review

Temple of Void – The World That Was Review

“Debut album Of Terror and the Supernatural was a killer compound of death-doom. But Lords of Death also began to incorporate traits that might be more familiar to Alice in Chains or even Pearl Jam. Now, The World That Was prepares to thunder into immediate proximity with the same weight but a clear shift in intent. Fear thee not, ye acolytes and thralls – monumental riffs still fill these halls. But, to quote the band, themselves: “your face is different, but we’ve met before…”” Killdozer or dozing off?

Worm – Gloomlord Review

Worm – Gloomlord Review

“It never bodes well when a writer with squatter’s rights to a promo doesn’t raise a fuss when you snatch it from them. I selected Floridian death-doom band Worm’s second album Gloomlord from our putrid promo pit without doing my due diligence to see if they had been covered on the site before. Turns out they have, and the good Dr. Wvrm wasn’t even a little sorry to see this one go to a different writer.” Worm turns.