I find them to have noticeable death/doom influences in certain songs, Drone. No need to be passive agressive because I don't share your opinion on the Peaceville Three debuts.

I'm not passive aggressive, I'm simply fed up by the fact that you come to this thread

a. obviously not knowing what you're talking about.
b. not being the least bit of help to anyone (nor trying to be.)
c. likely trolling or trying to inflate your postcount.

This is not the FFA thread. This is the death/doom and funeral doom help thread. Any further useless post by you will be reported.

Hahaha. I never troll, and I've been helpful to many users (I know this because I've been thanked). I'll refrain from responding to your baseless statements in the future. Get over yourself.

In response to primitivevoid, I have to say Evoken. Antithesis of Light gets a lot of (justified) love, but I like all of their albums. Very well executed death/doom. I especially like the way they incorporate clean guitars.

Winter's Into Darkness is a good call. According to last.fm it is the death/doom album I listen to most, and I love every bit of it. It has the right amount of heaviness, the right amount of melancholy, it is not too slow, not too fast, it's death/doom in the Goldilocks zone, as astronomers call it.

Another classic is Disembowelment's Transcendence into the Peripheral. That one took me a long while to get into because it is just such an uncomfortable listen at first. Once I got past the initial discomfort, man, what a ride. They have a real psychotic atmosphere going on, but not in a cheesy "avant-garde" way, their recipe is simple, but ultimately effective.

The leading album in my beloved Dutch death/doom scene would be Sempiternal Deathreign's The Spooky Gloom. Alternating between blistering death/thrash and suffocating doom they really create their own unique brand of heaviness that should and must be heard.

Runner-up in the Dutch scene are Necro Schizma's demos, Erupted Evil and Necrocarnation, both released together on the Discography compilation. These guys are primitive to the max, but create a one-of-a-kind atmosphere in the process. Imagine the slowest and simplest moments on Hellhammer's releases and focus entirely on them without ever picking up the pace or showing a hint of melody, then you have Necro Schizma in a nutshell.

There are more, but perhaps another time.



On a different subject matter, since certain people seem to have great difficulty sticking to the subject of this thread, I have now added some ground rules to the OP, and encourage everyone here to report any further off-topic posts. Here's what I wrote:

I should discover more Dutch doom/death metal bands. I never really pay much attention to the metal out of my country but since I've heard people talking about how great the scene in The Netherlands were during the early 90's I should give it a shot. Thanks for the reminder droneriot.

Definitely worth a shot. The essential bands (in my opinion) are the aforementioned Sempiternal Deathreign and Necro Schizma, as well as Spina Bifida and Castle.

Here are some YouTube links:

Sempiternal Deathreign - Devestating Empire Towards Humanity
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26w6OQil21o

Necro Schizma - Erupted Evil
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLfxpbBeBck

Spina Bifida - Purest Queen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc8SAdq6gq8

Castle - Exposed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk0ETVoo0Tk

I don't really remember which was the first death/doom album I've heard but given my mild recollections of the day it was probably The Gathering's Always. It actually took me a long time to get into death/doom as I've began on the gothic side of the spectrum, then went to atmospheric sludge and only after that I began listening to actual doom. It's funny how some things work. As for the album that defines death/doom to me I don't really have an answer to that one, I'm still in the process of discovering much of what's been done in the nineties, but if I had to point out a highlight of the scene I'd say Transcendence Into The Peripheral. Took me years to understand and digest that album but I now hold it in a very high regard against all other death/doom. It's just so massive and so brutal and so crushing and so sad and so beautiful, and so on.

@ Droneriot - What's your view on Mystic Charm and Mourning? Since you know the Dutch scene better than many I'd like to hear your feedback on those two.

Mystic Charm is pretty cool, but I have to admit that the vocals annoy me. As for Mourning, they sound a lot like Sempiternal Deathreign without the thrash-leads, pretty solid stuff. Just try to not pay attention to what the guy is singing the lyrics seem pretty damn juvenile from what I could make out. I don't think I'd recommend either band, but I wouldn't recommend avoiding them, either.

Middle of the road then. I had the same impression when I've heard Mystic Charm but I'll be giving them another chance when I get in the mood. Mourning I only listened to briefly and it did bring a mild impression of SD indeed. I guess it's a case of seeing how much they're really worth musically.

One thing that impressed me during my last death/doom binge was Dark Millennium's debut, talk about "being different" if you know what I mean. I think I need to revisit that one more often.

I actually have a big problem listening to Unholy (just remembered they've been mentioned) because of them being so dense. On one hand they remind me of D. but on the other they have this weird vibe with clean vocals and a lack of variation that crawls and crawls. I've been trying to get into them for a long time but I never seem to be able to really listen to them. It's weird I know.

They're actually quite cool when they stick with a straight-forward death/doom or funeral doom thing, it's when they get "weird" that things fall apart. A lot of people seem to enjoy it for some reason, I just can't get into it. Just as an example of the former, here's one of their most straight-forward songs, and it's quite cool:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIhJsGAuFGo

Sempiternal Deathreign seem like a cool band. I've heard their debut before but I think it's time for a revisit. Mystical Charm has weak rasped vocals which are quite a turn off and I'll listen to Castle's s/t later.

Lost Paradise and Into Darkness were my stepping stones to the genre (the title track of latter being one of my first ventures into extreme metal in general) and both have garnered hundreds of listens without boring me once. To me, those albums are the best representations of the two different styles of death/doom metal I enjoy the most.

Castle's self-titled (and only) album is a masterpiece of music and one of my all-time favorite albums. It's hard to pinpoint exactly why I love that album so much, but the slick production, emotional build-ups, classy keyboard work and the songwriting beneath all of it is a breathtaking experience each and every time. Props for recommending that one by the way, drone.

Yes i just discovered this album as well and it was a great listen. The vocalist reminds me of asphyx's vocalist Martin van Drunen. which is not something i find myself saying very often. The album in question though definitly deserves more spins from me. I found that one at the same time as i found gorement, whioch while very different from dark millennium, but still quality death/doom.

Gorement is tits!

I would say that The Ending Quest is midway between your typical Swedish death metal band of the nineties and early death/doom. It's a bit of a mixture of both, much like those death metal albums that are melodic without being melodeath, the album is doomy without being overtly death/doom. At least that's my view of it.

i agree, thats how i like my death metal, right on the border of being death doom. Fleshcrawl is a good example of this as well. Still death metal but with enough doomy elements to blur the line,

primitivevoid, do you know Anatomia from Japan? Recent band, like early Fleshcrawl they have that whole Autopsy-inspired doom thing in their morbid death metal sound. Quite good. Released a new album a few weeks ago, too, haven't heard it yet.

I got a copy of their full length album but i havent had a chance to listen to it yet. I will do that today and get back with what i think, sounds right up my ally though. been on an asphyx kick this morning. Great great band, i even like there material without Martin van Drunen.

As far material without Martin van Drunen, I like Embrace the Death, and I like On the Wings of Inferno a lot. The self-titled has some pretty cool songs, but I think the terrible vocals ruin the whole thing. I wish they would re-record it with MvD. As for God Cries, well, that's just terrible, but it's not really Asphyx either.

Yep, God Cries does suck indeed. However I don't think that the vocals suck that much on the s/t, sure they're pretty standard but they're not bad per se. Probably because it was my first contact with Asphyx but I enjoy that one very much.

I'll also check Anatomia, seems to be an interesting band on paper.

Anatomia did remind me a bit of a dirtier fleshcrawl maybe as played by earlier coffins. It was a solid listen and ill be interested to see what they do in the future. right now i am checking out a band called morgue and gutwrench....

I am also looking for some new funeral doom, as you guys know i am not in to the gothic/romantic stuff and am well fairly well versed in the genre. i know and like evoken, asunder, thegothon, skepticism, loss, aldebaren, untill death overtakes me, .... so where should i go next?

I'm not so well-versed in the genre, but from what I remember, Russia's Abstract Spirit are pretty cool, and not gothic/romantic in the slightest.

Finished listening to Castle's s/t. So far I don't dig it that much. Pretty sure I have to relisten to it a couple of more time. I remember hearing some cool flashy leads however.

And now it's time to give Sempiternal Deathreign's The Spooky Gloom a chance.

They're actually pretty creepy.

There's always early Ahab and Catacombs to try out, both have enough quality and similarities to the bands listed above.

yes, i should have listed them as well as i enjoy both quite regularly. I also got the new sonne adam ep today and will be posting my thoughts on that. grimy crawly death doom is always good for a spin no matyter what my mood.

Same here.


-edit- Listened once so far.

First impressions:

Downsides: Pretty necro production, no instantly headbangable killer riffs like on Transformation.
Upsides: More focus on doom and atmosphere.

I don't remember what the advance track sounded like, but the EP has a really muddy sound. It's a lot different from the album in many aspects, not just the production. Will take some time getting used to.

-edit- What the fuck? I was replying to a post by androdion in this post and now his post is gone?

Eh, I just deleted the post because I was reading the relevant thread. Man, your trigger finger is fast!

yes, the new sonne adam is different and i am in agreement that it will take a few spins to properly compare it to their last full length. they both are beastly and i kinda like the new dirtier muddy production esp, how it works with the vocals.

On another note, i was listening to Katatonia's dance of december souls last night and this morning and realised i cannot praise this album enough. without god is probably one of my favorite songs ever commited to tape, but the whole album is amazing from start to finish. It is kinda funny though as i cant stand any of the bands other material (dont worry drone, not talking about the bullshit they turned into) even brave murder day. oh well one masterpiece of an album is better than none. Please note i didnt write this to discuss the merrits of anything else but this one album by this band, as drone has pointed out anything else they have done is null en void for this thread.

I like BMD but it can't really compare to Dance of Decembers Souls, shit is amazing

Thoughts on Runemagick here? Currently listening to Darkness Death Doom which seems to be pretty decent so far. I've also heard their debut which was ok and The Pentagram which kinda sucked.

i have the darkness death doom collection but havent really givin it the attention it probably deserves, just listened to a few tracks here and there, and while it wasnt bad i dont remember being overly impressed either. But i will give them another chance sometime when i am in the mood to try something new as opposed to listening to a classic album. Its hard for me to put on something unfamiliar when i can just put on into darkness or transcendence, if you know what i mean.

Ah... Runemagick! Yet another band with nearly a dozen albums that I keep avoiding because of that very fact.

I have a friend of mine who is very fond of them and he has been busting my balls to listen to that album for some time now, according to him it seems to be one of their best on the doomier spectrum, as the early albums are more OSDM. Still that's about the only input I can give on the matter, but I do hope to get into the band somewhere in the mid-term future.

I like pretty much everything they've done, the early OSDM stuff was cool as, and the later death/doom is solid. The stuff around DDD is a nice middle ground which doesn't take the doom too seriously while still packing a flat out doomy punch. It's my favourite period of the band mainly because it's unique and the rocking out and fun sort of mood is so weird for heavy as hell death doom. Also wahwah abuse in doom songs, there needs to be more of that.

Runemagick isn't a band I'm too fond of because I feel they are trying way too hard to be atmospheric with all their effects, acoustic pluckings, synths and whatnot. It's all too streamlined, there's no real rough edge to it, it all seems geared towards instant gratification and that's a thing I'm not too fond of. But that's just my personal view of things. Doesn't help that none of their riffs ever stick with me.

The praise for Dance of December Souls is something I can at least partially relate to. Katatonia never was one of my favourite bands, but it's definitely their strongest output and quite solid at that.

last night i had the pleasure of listening to Elysian Blaze's blood geometry double album. It was exactly what i was looking for. for those unfamilar with this release it is very atmospheric blackened funeral doom with extended ambient passages. It is a very strong release if your into the funeral thing.

On a more streight forward death/doom note i picked up Indesinence's Vessels of light and decay. The only other material from this band i own is a copy of there demo which is amazing, so my expectations were really high for this. Needless to say it didnt meet my lofty expectations of being an instant death doom classic, it is however a solid well constructed album that i will have to give some more time to to fully appreciate it. On first listen it was good, far from a dissapointment just not as good as i was hoping. I think iit may have the potential to be a grower though as on first listen i noticed some cool things that make me want to listen to the album again.

I saw the name Indesinence here and there sometimes. What type of death/doom are they playing? Any band(s) you can compare them to?

it's extreme death doom. music and tempo-wise, it's similar to Evoken or Faal. The latest album has more rhythm, it's less heavy and dense, and overall, I think it's for the best.

I would say a less funeral evoken is a good starting point on describing indesinence with some old school death metal influences (played slow and low) Their demo is brillant and this full length is growing on me enough that i will be buying their other albums if i can find a distro carrying them.

Heard the new Encoffination EP a few times now, I think it may surprise people. Very clear and clean production, not a wall of muck like their other releases. On this EP there actually seems to be more emphasis on what the instruments are playing rather than how they play it. Can't hurt to check it out.

Currently listening to Runemagick's Resurrection in Blood for the third time or something. So far it's not great...I find the riffs to be mostly lacking something. The leads sound pretty wicked however.