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Kreation Records have opened a Bandcamp. There are currently 24 albums uploaded and "there will be more in the coming weeks". Among them you'll find releases by Evoken, Morgion, Nachtmystium, Zoroaster, Acid King, and... Grey. The Hammer Horror witches coven style cover to Sisters of the Wyrd made me think some kind of goth metal, but this is much darker and much much heavier. Grey plays doom, hard and loud. From a base of crunching slowed down Sabbathian riffs, they add tough as nails death doom and funeral doom hypnotism.
The first song "At Night" isn't the best, it doesn't hang together as well as the rest of the album. At 13 minutes it also the longest, making it a slightly odd choice for an album opener. Still you get a good taste of the terrific vocals. Raw and harsh and with an black metal style evilness that's very effective; and the equally terrific drumming. Heavy when need be, but also with a looseness and fills and rolls that channels the mighty Mr. Ward.
The next two songs are the main attractions on Sisters of the Wyrd. "Taker of Souls" with the brutal riff bookending a lethargic middle section that just oozes hopelessness; making the "I stand before...doom" line sound entirely believable. And the atmospheric (but still incredibly heavy) "Sacrifice At Glastonbury Tor" with a harrowing vocal performance, and a gigantic main riff carrying its tale of ancient mysticism,
Sisters of the Wyrd is rounded out by the more traditionally doomy "Fields of Grey" with its sad lyrics, and a ferocious cover of 13’s "Wither". The production is clear without sacrificing any of the heaviness or atmosphere; I don't want to use the word "perfect", but I really can't find any fault with it. According to my Googling Sisters of the Wyrd fell under the radar when it was released in 2008. I like it a lot, so my advice is: Don't let it fall under yours.
[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]
An awesome first effort. I hope to hear more from this group.
ReplyDeleteI think "At Night" is the perfect way to start the record. It immediately and irrevocably tosses aside any preconception one might have about the album by saying "this is who we are and this is what we do", before crushing the listener's face. Could it be tightened up slightly? Sure. But as it stands it's the mission statement of the record. I like the drum fills around the 9 minute mark and the outro.
I really like "Taker of Souls" and "Fields of Grey" as well. Hell, the whole album is just really good. Even the closing track sounds of a piece; if I hadn't known it was a cover beforehand, I would've sworn that they were just a bit more active than on the other tracks.
So this fits in with how the first half of 2013 has gone for me, as this is the best doom I've heard this year.
This album is worth it based on one fact alone: the drummer calls herself BitchHammer.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't sure what speed to play this EP at so I tried both. I'm still not sure which is correct as they both sound right. Based on the audio above, it's played at 33 1/3.
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