Advent: Doom

This is a solid death metal record. Musically, it's has some melodic death and black metal influences, the wavy pattern of guitar riffs gives it a bit of a prog death sound too.

I like the fact that the drums are done tastefully - they are definitely up to par, but the drummer knows when silence is better than sound - something a lot of black and death metal drummers forget about. Rather than filling the whole 19 minutes of the record with blast beats, the drum work nicely blends with the guitars, accenting the proper parts.

Guitar and bass-wise, the music is very engaging. The band sounds excellent in concert - they are very energetic and engage the audience. Fortunately, they manage to convey the same energy in the studio. I like the stop-and-go feel of some sections of the record - the music wraps you up, throws you against a brick wall, and then pulls back. If you know what I mean. If you don't, I'll put it this way - excellent for headbanging.

Finally, my favorite part is the vocal work. The vocalist, though self-taught, as he told me after concert, is very, very skilled. He has a tremendous range.

Overall, this is a very good record. Definitely worth buying, if you manage to find it.