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Damballah
Metal newbie

Joined: Thu Jul 05, 2012 8:12 pm
Posts: 176
PostPosted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 4:36 am 
 

I'm really digging the purple/skull/crypt/church bells/miasma stench vibes and the organ keyboards in their music. Is there a Band that makes music like them? Should not be exactly doom metal, could be black metal as well... just with that slightly gothic touch without sounding too whiny. Mortuary Drape is a good example as well for a Band that i like.

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DoomMetalAlchemist
Veteran

Joined: Mon Dec 27, 2010 6:10 am
Posts: 2858
PostPosted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 5:28 am 
 

I'm curious about this as well, but I actually prefer any recs to be doom metal. I've actually got a couple recs myself, but they are doom metal, so sorry about that. :-P

Black Hole is an Italian doom metal band that put out their first album, called Land of Mystery, in 1985. This is really creepy tinged doom, with lots of touches of church organ, and vocals that sound very ghost-like. Their second album, Living Mask, was recorded between 1988 - 1989 but not released until 2000. The second album is quite good but has a HUMUNGOUS flaw--the poorly programmed drums. You have to hear it to believe it. The first time I listened to the album I couldn't stop laughing because of the drum programming. But after a few listens, and after the shock wore off, I began to get used to it, and now I think the drum programming actually fits the music quite well and is part of the album's charm. But make no mistake, I always loved everything else about the album, even on first listen. Black Hole actually finally put out another album like less than two months ago, called Evil in the Dark. I haven't heard any of it yet, but I am eagerly waiting for my copy to arrive in the mail.

Black Hole - Demoniac City. From their first album, Land of Mystery. This is a weird song for them because the intro embodies everything the band is about, but after the intro, it's by far the least doomy thing they ever put on an album. But maybe you'll like that because of it.

Black Hole - Living Masks. From their second album, Living Mask. This song doesn't really have organ, but the synths it does have are equally chilling. Beware the drum programming!

Antonius Rex is not on the archives, as they are known as an Italian prog rock band from the 70s. Starting at their 1980 album Praeternatural, they started adding doom metalish guitar riffs to their music, but not enough to have them qualify as actual metal albums. IMO, except one: Neque Semper Arcum Tendit Rex. There is an interesting story behind this one. The band alleges they recorded it as a demo in 1974 and was going to release it on a label, but the label didn't like one of the tracks, so it got shelved, and it was finally released to the public in 2000. This 2000 release is pretty much a doom metal album. But other than doom metal, there are church organs all over the fucking place. The vocals are this creepy spoken word recitations, I'm assuming in Italian. What's insteresting is that, some people claim that Antonius Rex's claim this was recorded in 1974 is not entirely true. That most of it was probably recorded back then, but the heavy guitars were all added much later for the 2000 release. Someone on MA I was briefly discussing this with said one piece of proof is that the technology to get such high gain distortion on a guitar was not available in 1974, and that assertion seems accurate to me. But "fake" or not, I love the damn thing, and I think anyone seeking for Abysmal Grief-like music would do well to check it out.

Antonius Rex - Neque Semper Arcum. From their 2000 album, Neque Semper Arcum Tendit Rex. The metal comes in about halfway through the song. This album contains very minimalist drumming throughout.

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tomcat_ha
Minister of Boiling Water

Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 8:05 am
Posts: 5570
Location: Netherlands
PostPosted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 9:33 am 
 

abysmal grief are a newer example of the classic italian doom sound.
Check out the bands paul chain has been in(yes including death ss) the aforementioned antonius rex and black hole, jacula and the new epitaph album.
You can then proceed to dig through literally every other doom band in italy and you are bound to find some good stuff.

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Damballah
Metal newbie

Joined: Thu Jul 05, 2012 8:12 pm
Posts: 176
PostPosted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 12:59 pm 
 

Hm, nothing really that comes close to Abysmal Grief in my opinion...

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Morphine1873
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2010 1:36 pm
Posts: 682
PostPosted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 3:41 am 
 

I agree that the Italian scene has some real talented bands to showcase in that hybrid, baroque style.
From Italy, I can recommend Black Oath and Zess


Check out also:
https://black-mantra.bandcamp.com/
https://albez-duz.bandcamp.com/
https://orderofisaz.bandcamp.com/

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MetlaNZ
Veteran

Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 6:45 pm
Posts: 2695
Location: Lost in Necropolis
PostPosted: Sat Dec 02, 2017 10:08 pm 
 

Check out the Blizaro albums and the John Gallow "Violet Dreams" album. John Gallow was in Orodruin, a traditional doom metal band who put out the excellent "Epicurean Mass" album back 2003.
Blizaro and his S/T album take a lot of inspiration from the like's of Paul Chain and the Italian scene. But he makes it his own. Cool lyrics, great riffs and graveyard atmosphere.

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Damballah
Metal newbie

Joined: Thu Jul 05, 2012 8:12 pm
Posts: 176
PostPosted: Mon Dec 04, 2017 11:50 am 
 

Thanks i will check them out buddy!

Blizaro comes relatively close to Abysmal Grief from the atmosphere

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TheUnhinged
Metalhead

Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 2:28 pm
Posts: 417
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri Dec 08, 2017 5:57 pm 
 

Gotta love some Abysmal Grief. I can think of a handful of bands that come close to their style, at least to my ears.

Stillborn from Sweden were perhaps the first band to combine doom metal with gothic overtones. Their first album, Necrospirituals, are kind of like a precursor to both Type O Negative and Abysmal Grief with their combination of doomy riffs, deep baritone singing, and sleazy goth rock atmosphere.



Diabolique (also from Sweden) played very evil and horror-themed gothic/doom metal on their first album, Wedding the Grotesque. Their two albums afterwards are pretty much pure gothic rock in the style of The Cure, but Wedding the Grotesque is definitely comparable to Abysmal Grief.



I'm not sure how you feel about female singing, but Murkrat is DEFINITELY worth mentioning here. It's practically a one-woman project (aside from a male drummer) from Australia, playing very evil sounding doom metal with some horror gothic-style elements. The first album in particular is more traditional doom sounding, which reminds me a lot of AG's album, Misfortunate. Her second album, Drudging the Mire, is more funeral doom sounding, but it's still worth listening to as well. Overall, her stuff is definitely a good example of doom metal that sounds gothic in a way that's grotesque and sinister, rather than romantic.


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Doomsday
Metalhead

Joined: Sun Jul 20, 2003 12:30 pm
Posts: 1042
Location: Sweden
PostPosted: Fri Dec 08, 2017 6:35 pm 
 

Deliria from Italy is somewhat similar.

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Damballah
Metal newbie

Joined: Thu Jul 05, 2012 8:12 pm
Posts: 176
PostPosted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 5:20 am 
 

Diabolique really comes close, even it's not as catchy as Abysmal Grief

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