Ascension

Caronte is an Italian doom band led by Dorian Bones, the guy behind italian black metal band Whiskey Ritual. While the aforementioned band did not display any original traits in its dealings with satanic metal, their skillful songwriting and dynamic execution more than made up for it. The same could be said about Caronte, a doom metal band that could be classified as extremely efficient, but that also recalls one of the staples of punk and metal of the last three decades a little too closely; Danzig.

And then of course there is that other doom band that everyone has been ripping off for the past five years; Electric Wizard.

But first things first; Bones is an exceptional singer. A versatile screecher that fits black metal hysterics like a glove and now, a soulful Elvis-esque crooner who is capable of invoking the devil with vast romantic flair. Bones is in character here, waxing romantic over open mid-tempo riffs and a cushy and warm production job. In other words, Caronte exudes the same type of professionalism of Whiskey Ritual; fault or virtue? I suppose that’s on the ear of the beholder, what’s truth is this; doom metal is now as palatable as ever and Ascension goes down like punch.

So if you have ever wondered what it would be like if Danzig was invited to take Jus Osborn’s place at the mike, well here is the answer. Ascension is then very formulaic, downright generic for some purposes, albeit, some of these songs are undeniably sticky and that without discounting the perfect guitar tuning of Tony Bones, who frankly, were Osborn ever to fracture his hand, could handily replace him as well. Some may notice, but most may not even be bothered.

Originally written for www.deafsparrow.com