The debut full-length from Greek band Automaton is weighty, sludgy, coffin-lid-slamming Doom perfection.
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Despite the occational uptempo death metal section, this is a slow and heavy doom/death band. Seems to be moving into the direction of funeral doom. The first d...
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Consecration : Fragilium
Consecration's latest album is a near-perfect slice of old school,
filthy
Death/Doom. |
 |
| 'Fragilium' is the second full-length release from England’s
Consecration. Their first full-length was released five years prior,
which is nice to see in an era that predominantly seems to prioritise quantity
over quality.
At the start of this album, I was beginning to think there had been an error somewhere. I love a good intro but it’s at least ten minutes into this album before you first hear vocals! The soft, loitering acoustic guitar lulled me into a perfect sense of security though, before striking out with some fierce Death/Doom during 'A Sentinel For The Fragile'. At that point, I knew that I’d enjoy the album because I love golden oldies diSEMBOWELMENT, and this band clearly does too, based upon their preferred style of Death/Doom! Vocally speaking, I don’t think they can claim to have gotten quite as guttural as the Australian Death/Doom pioneers but they’ve still done a very good job in what I wouldn’t hesitate in describing as something of a tribute act. That’s not meant offensively; all bands draw influence from somewhere nowadays, and Consecration just so happened to do so from one of my favourite Death/Doom bands. There are some touches on this album that are their own, and their production is better for obvious reasons, but there’s no getting away from the fact that Consecration’s Death/Doom approach is the old, filthy way - and I love it. What I love about 'Fragilium' is that, at no stage do Consecration sound like they’ve rushed anything. On a Death/Doom release, the temptation is very real to simply unleash and see where it takes you but Consecration have produced everything meticulously here. They’re not afraid to play with great patience, confident that their intensity and compositions will shine through after the build-up - and they’re right to think that way. To simplify it, this album sounds like Consecration are seasoned veterans, and this is their tenth or twentieth album. In reality, it’s just their second full-length, which bodes well for the future for people like me as I love this kind of music. I certainly hope to be able to catch them live in Manchester at some point! Suffice to say that I am a big fan of this album. No, you’re not going to hear much that you’ve not heard before but I’m not one of the people that classes that as a negative. As far as I am concerned, as long as the quality is there, I have no problems. The quality is definitely there on this release, ranging from the excellent production to the powerful vocals and menacing guitars. It’s fair to say that they’re not in as much of a hurry as those before them when it comes to getting into Death Metal segments, but when they are it’s clear that it was worth the wait! I don’t have anything to criticise on this album, really. I thought it took a bit too long to get going but after listening to the album, the waiting time aligned well with the rest of the album. Everything else about it - technicality, compositions, length, quality - was just perfect for me. Great album! Any Death/Doom fan should really enjoy this. Click HERE to discuss this review on the doom-metal forum. |
| Tracklist : 1. In Darkened Slumber 2. A Sentinel For The Fragile 3. In Somnus Ego Morrior (In My Sleep I Die) 4. An Elegy For The Departed 5. To Welcome The Grey Duration : Approx. 56 minutes Visit the Consecration bandpage. |
