PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
This beauty has been out for a couple of weeks now but I just could not let it pass by without inking a few lines with the quill.
Sweden has always produced cracking bands in the past, from all genres but Doom being my personal passion, I was drawn like the proverbial Moth to the flame by Heavydeath, a band that are pretty active when it comes to releases, throwing out the odd demo track as they go about their business. This full length album though, is a shining beacon.
Kicking off with the deliciously atmospheric ‘Ascending’, trundling along at an almost static pace in places, the crackling guitar riff, steered by a wonderfully subdued drum sound that works so well in being authoritative, and yet subdued. Melting seamlessly into ’Road To The Fire’, which whilst maintaining the atmosphere musically, offers a great foil for the foreboding vocal sound to pitch in to complete the menacing mosaic.
As an album, the band have obviously put an immense amount of (black) heart and soul into its creation. Not being content with merely gathering a thorny bouquet of individual tracks, they have succeeded in spawning a body of work that is as singular as it is plural. Guided by the crushing, at times, funeral paced riff, the album is able to move freely within its confines, thus remaining fluid, and maintaining my interest throughout.
With seven tracks on offer, and each worthy of being labelled album favourite, I shall leave it to you to decide, after all, it is a personal point of view . For me, I loved the title track itself, switching as it does between head nodding brilliance, to downright bogged down evil. The album closer ’Beyond The Riphean Mountains’ would come a very close second though, such hypnotic dark beauty, echoing through the gloom, serving slabs of trippy feedback laced riffs that are irresistible. All in all, a fantastic journey through a really well crafted landscape, an album that will without doubt appeal to the Doom and Death fan alike, and will remain on my turntable for many a full Moon to come.
Track Listing;
1. Ascending
2. Road To The Fire
3. Bow Down
4. Eat The Sun
5. Eternal Sleepwalker
6. Heavy As Death
7. Beyond The Riphean Mountains
Heavydeath are;
Daniel Moilanen – Drums
Johan Bäckman – Bass Guitar
Nicklas Rudolfsson – Guitar and Vocals
‘Eternal Sleepwalker is out now via Svart Records
https://www.facebook.com/heavydeathofficial
