WRECK OF THE HESPERUS: "Light Rotting Out"

Who said artwork matters nothing in music? I’d say it’s an essential part of an album, so seeing such special packaging and artwork adorning Wreck of the Hesperus’ second album Light Rotting Out brings a smile on my face: an A5 sized cardboard outlook that has four individual cards inside carrying the lyrics and additional information. Talk about good first impressions.

The music itself - ugly and filthy funeral doom - leaves nobody cold either. Always slow and dragging, Wreck of the Hesperus still manages to keep the listener at his toes, never knowing what might appear from the rotting mud of Light Rotting Out. This album does not dwell in melancholy or anything along those lines, no, this is just creepy and disgusting menace. The starter ”Kill Monument”, clocking at eight minutes, is just a taste of what’s to come on the more intriguing ”Cess Pit People” that features some higher-pitched guitary melody-like therein, yet always sounding chaotic and, well, just ugly.  ”The Holy Rheum” lasts for over twenty minutes and is the highlight of the album, including an appearance of Albert Witchfinder on the latter half of the song or, in other words, part 2 of the song, ”Hologram Law”.

Vocals gnarl, bass guitar grunts, and the drummer, one of the best feature on the disc, rampages very impressively over his kit - he always seems to have something going on, like between the accented hits he batters the hell out of his toms. Also, the cellar-like production is spot on on an album of this kind. In the end, Light Rotting Out leaves a positive taste, but it also evokes a feeling of lacking, as the compositions aren’t that otherworldly in the end. It never sucks, but neither it is really memorable I’m afraid, even if the overall sound and atmosphere deserves full points. For an occasional dwelling in filthy funeral doom soundscapes, Light Rotting Out is an undisputed choice, but it doesn’t rise to the thrilling levels of excitement of, say, Stabat Mater debut from a couple of years back.

3.5 / 5

WALK THROUGH FIRE: "Furthest from Heaven"

The label Aesthetic Death has been churning out some quality doom metal lately, and Walk Through Fire is another addition to their roster, now delivering fourty minutes of painful, slow sludge / doom metal with some post-metal influences on their second full-length Furthest from Heaven.

Considering the album's title, the aura is fittingly desperate. The self-titled ”Furthest from Heaven” creeps up slowly, starting with slightly atonal and distortionless chords and then building up to the slow metal which consists of just a couple of beats and riffs. ”Through Me They Bleed” continues this with even better ideas in the riff department, as the predecessor may stagnate a little too much during its 12-minute static repetition.

”The Dying Sun” is an interlude of droning synth mats, nothing out of the ordinary really, but an apt moment of peace until ”The Dead Sun”, the true monolith of Furthest from Heaven kicks in. It is chaos meeting desperation in this partially faster song, and here the band has managed to create their most consistent composition in which the unchanging nature of the style bothers the least. The mid-range growls deliver the minimalist lines convincingly, and the riffs capture the emotions the best.

Furthest from Heaven does not really hit any special spots in me. Most of its material is definitely not goose bumps inducing nor totally memorable. But the fact is that the songs are decent at worst and there’s no moments of irritation on any corner of the album - it flows nicely throughout and luckily realizes to stop after the fourth song so that it hasn’t been prolonged to unnecessary extents. I have seen Neurosis and Isis mentioned in regard to this album and I agree that fans of those bands might enjoy what’s on the bleak landscapes of Furthest from Heaven.

2.5 / 5

MURKRAT: "Drudging the Mire"

Females playing metal is nothing new whatsoever, but females playing funeral doom is an entirely different thing - at least to me - so this 2-piece Murkrat and their second full-length Drudging the Mire is no short of an intriguing release, for sure. And the outcome is largely positive even if the 72-minute mammoth has its glitches as well.

Fitting for the style, Drudging the Mire sounds cavernous and utterly dark. Slow drum beats reverberate in the sinister soundfield, synths and pianos having a prominent role along with the simple guitar chords. But the most important feature here is the vocal delivery of Mandy VKS Cattleprod that goes from a clean yet viperish chant-like approach (”Faceless”, the close-to-ambient ”World”) to demented moans and snarls (”I, Rodent”, ”Speak”). Those used to hearing mere deep male growls in funeral doom might have hard time stomaching her style, but I find the output only refreshing.

During the course of the lengthy whole, not all riffs truly stand out with pure brilliance, but for the most part, Drudgin the Mire is surprisingly consistent throughout. The album is probably at its best on the centerpiece ”Electric Womb” where the oppressive, repetitive patterns work like magic - truly haunting and impressive, I must say. The droney bookends - ”Processional: Drudging the Mire” and ”Berceuse - Slow Immersion” - are well done pieces too, beginning and ending the long journey in fitting buzzing and howling sounds.

While still waiting for the eternally delayed Elysian Blaze album, Drudging the Mire is a real treat. Personally I’m not so fond of some of the experimental, faster elements that appear here on a few corners, but overall, Murkrat has created a really nice record, recommendable for fans of the genre who do not avoid uncompromising approaches to vocals.

3.5 / 5