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Band: Sorrowful Land
Album title: Of Ruins...
Release date: 7 November 2016
Label: Solitude Productions
Tracklist:
01. A Reminiscence
02. Requiescat
03. On Another's Sorrow
04. Of Ruins...
05. In The Time Of Tyrants
06. Echoes Of Endless Silence
Welcome to an epic doomy journey! First of all I must say that lately I've been on a slight doom metal ride and Sorrowful Land with this magnificient album named Of Ruins... just came to me in the right time, and what an amazing record they have built up. It's hard to put together a good resume of how to describe the album. The production reminds me of Doom:VS 2008' album Dead Words Speak, it has that similar sort of muddy guitar sound with loads of beautiful keys in the background which creates the right vibe of the album. Songs are raging from more traditonal doom metal to a pure funeral doom. The band is hailing form Ukraine, a country which is not really known for doom bands, but it's more than great to see that they have promising acts there.
I love the mix between clean and growling vocals, that has always been something I've enjoyed in doom metal. Crushing, highly melodic, yet dark and deep, the band marches forward slowly and steady. They are building up one hell of a really nice energy around itself, like a wall of fragile and elegant sounds. With beautiful clean melodies and a clear idea where things are heading the band presents six tracks of pure crushing epic melancholic doom, and believe me if you are fan of gloomy doom that this is everything you could ever want from a doom metal album, really, this record is a pure pile of gold for all doom metal fans. The songs tend to stick to very typical slow doom tempo, but still there's more than enough going on that you would ever expect, for example the small fills and tom rolls, and not necessarily sticking to the traditonal doom metal structure, just listen for example to grandiose epic "On Another's Sorrow" to get an idea. Sometimes the sound reminds me slightly to early Katatonia or Hamferå, the guitar work is impressively tight and is leaving room for plenty of nice guitar harmonies and melodic lines, while the drums are slowly pounding and back up everything so nicely.
The more I listen to it the more I get dragged into the depths of this magic album, while the songs are fairly long, they offer just enough of diversity and I can almost want them to be even longer. It's harsh enough, and melodic yet stunningly beautiful! Even if this is their first album, Sorrowful Land will clearly left a mark in the scene for sure with this stunning release.
Review written by: Oliver
Rating: 10/10
Disclaimer: This is a guest review and it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the Terra Relicta staff.
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