PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
As much as I love the whole Doom Metal genre, it has become somewhat of a musical minefield in recent times, I guess the price of an ever growing popularity status amongst the masses can only mean a plethora of new bands, eager to become the next big thing in exporting the vibes of darkness.
Whilst Nangilima are not a new band as such, ‘Dark Matter’ is their first full length release, and as such has a great sense of anticipation about it from my perspective, as I profess to not having come across the band before.
The deliciously sombre and malevolent tones of the intro track ‘Chemin Vers Le Néant’ soon fade away to pull back the veil of the afterworld and reveal a crushingly powerful track in the form of ‘Stain Of A Broken Life’, the grinding riff barely lifting beyond funeral pace as the dark demonic gutteral growl vocal plays out a deathly dance against the tinkling of piano keys, creating such a wonderfully depressing atmosphere that you can not help but be sucked in.
The key to this sub genre of Doom in my eyes (and ears) has always been about the collective rather than the singular, at its best, such musical landscapes can be created, to the point where you become immersed in the whole piece rather than staring at a musical version of join the dots. Nangilima achieve that with this album, such depressive tones really hit the mark throughout the album, never deviating from its dark path. ’Crimson Cloud’, again is superb in its composition, having a more melodic slant maybe but losing none of its intensity and sombre rhetoric.
All before however, pales by the side of the momentous ’The Link Of Reminiscence’, a masterpiece of suffering and loss, played at an almost static pace, interspersed with the occasional gallop. The spoken word passage enhancing the sorrow and sending the Doom gauge off the scale, quite brilliant.
A fading heartbeat heralds the title track, which keeps the (lack of) pace ticking along superbly well, just as epic in its delivery as in its composition, it is simply faultless.
As the outro fades away, and the album ends, you begin to realise how good a listening experience you have just had. If this is the sign of things to come, I could well have just found myself one of the best Doom bands around.
Track Listing;
1. Chemin Vers Le Néant
2. Stain Of A Broken Life
3. Crimson Shroud
4. The Link Of Reminiscence
5. The Dark Matter
6. Éternel Sommeil
‘The Dark Matter’ is out now via Xtreem Music
https://www.facebook.com/nangilimadoom
