Stijn van Cauter returns with a perfect package of cosmically-influenced Ambient Funeral Doom.
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Good quality melodic doom/death with plentiful of gothic-metal touches. Whispering Gallery's music is romantic, sorrowful, and atmospheric, and yet heavy...
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Doomcult : Nameless (Split with Talsur)
A well-worked and complementary split from Doomcult and Talsur, two industrious contemporary Doom bands. |
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| Doomcult and Talsur offer us a split of three songs each. The extra element here is that they cover one of each other's songs. Sometimes splits are not as strong as EPs or albums because the lack of time invested into them. I’m not sure what to expect but it’s a great way to get an introduction into both bands. But having said that I have always enjoyed splits and this could prove to be hidden gem. First up on this split are Doomcult. They are a Melodic Doom Death band from the Netherlands. It’s a one man project from the hands of J.G. Arts. 'Nameless ' opens with the track 'Nails' and it’s a great opening introduction. Tortuous vocals scream and spit out over a variation of riffs that pulse away at you. It’s a steady pace and the drums are very crisp and clean. Two albums and a split behind this band already in the last couple of years so it’s a pretty proactive outfit. This is definitely a guy who leaves it all out in his vocals and you can’t fault the effort. The second track up is 'Plague'. The overall production is tight and even though it's absolutely not polished it's heavy and full of attitude. This is like some satanic ritual being carried out. I'm actually loving his vocals on this. They are full of aggression and carry along the song perfectly. The bass adds some great weight to the songs and the riffs are strong on this song. It’s structured very well and the drums add dynamics that give it an extra dimension. Lastly: 'Waters Of Loss', which is the Talsur cover. Slowly this song penetrates your insides. This is actually a really good cover version. It’s got a nice tempo to it and plenty of variation throughout. The guitar has plenty of bite and gives everything a big moody sound. As the piano faintly ends this song I feel these three songs are very enjoyable. Each song got deeper and stronger leaving everything seeming very dark. Now it’s time for Talsur. This Russian outfit has had a huge amount of releases since forming in 2015. Five albums and four splits already. Again just one band member, by the name of Talsur. So let’s get onto their first track which is 'Already Dead'. This is a lot heavier in feel than Doomcult. A huge sludgy sound with huge bass and pounding drums. The vocals are clean at the start but a really deep sounding texture that adds a extra layer of darkness to the guitars, almost cello-like on the deepest notes. It’s almost a trance-like sound that pulls you in leaving everything exposed. Growling screams come in and out as the song fades away into nothingness. Next up is 'The Fatal Hour'. A quiet start with clean guitar and warm pads gently guide us in. Those huge deep vocals cover the song in a blanket of despair. Brightened briefly by warm guitar leads that slowly caress us into the abyss as the song explodes into life. This is big on atmospheric feeling and emotion. Stabbing at you whilst ever twisting and turning pushing onwards to an ending that is bleak yet beautiful. To bring this chapter to a close comes the Doomcult cover 'Wrath'. Huge sounding again this is monstrous stuff. I’ve really liked both the bands' vocals on this split. They both complement each other really nicely. Talsur’s vocal’s on this song really stand out. Growls and screams decimate anything left in my ears. By the time piano breaks up what’s left of my brain, harmonies fill my mind again. This is great stuff. Editor's Note: The Doomcult segment of this split was also separately released in digital format by Loneravn Records, as the EP 'Plague'. Click HERE to discuss this review on the doom-metal forum. |
| Tracklist : Doomcult 1. Nails 2. Plague 3. Waters Of Loss (Talsur cover) Talsur 4. Already Dead 5. The Fatal Hour 6. Wrath (Doomcult cover) Visit the Talsur bandpage. Duration : Approx. 43 minutes Visit the Doomcult bandpage. |
