Brilliant Pools of Darkness

This band’s saga was started in the distant 1984 by the brothers Cliff (bass) and Richard (guitar) Chambliss, but it remains a mystery why it took them so long to come up with something… this is probably the longest gap from the moment of inception to the actual appearance of any tangible creation in the annals of metal.

Anyway, better late than never as people say, and one can only be grateful that the guys did produce something, after all, since this album is a really engaging, over an hour-long progressive doom metal opus, an avantgarde, plain surreal at times listen which looks at the Atrox and The Third and the Mortal’s legacy as references, but adhering more regularly to more intense, more dynamic tools. “Broken Everything” introduces quite a bit to the expectant listener who will totally savour the very good emotional clean vocals ala Roy Khan (Conception, Kamelot) for a start which preside over a heavy doomy rifforama, the guitars really sharp and cutting, kind of crying out for faster-paced ways of expression… those never come, though, although “Crucifixion” is a more dynamic, but largely mid-paced pounder bordering on thrash, the singer suddenly acquiring angrier, more belligerent tones to match the more aggressive musical mosaics which are alleviated by the excellent melodic leads. “No Need” is a needy… sorry, weird meandering balladic doomster with seismic riffs taking turns with serene meditative interludes, and “Bloody Hell” attempts something really energetic for a change with bouncy rhythms entering a tussle with a few keyboard sweeps, a bizarre combination which will also remind of the British gothic/doom metallers Eterne.

“Caliban’s Dance” is vintage mid-period Atrox with the twisted unorthodox rhythmic leaps those intercepted by abrupt keyboard inclusions. Those who were waiting for something more brutal to occur will be eventually rewarded with “Waiting” where some hard thrashing takes place for a brief moment before hectic Confessor-esque jolts start dancing around, disturbing the dominant balladic idyll which gets updated to high-octane doom again on “Winter Girls”, a sinister ship-sinking classic that would make even Candlemass proud. “Luminescence” aggravates the surroundings with edgier more biting riffs and absolutely stunning lead pyrotechnics, the keyboards involved as well, but in a less obtrusive way. “Divinity” is a quiet meditative melancholy lasting for over 7-min, before “Children’s Crusade” gives more verve and energy to this lengthy saga with both admirable speedy excursions, a few twisting technical riff-knots, and arresting keyboard-dominated walkabouts, the vocalist making a really fine pathos-like showing as a finale.

Interesting brooding stuff, albeit a bit overlong as the doom and the ballad don’t give too many chances to the other gimmicks to impress more, creating the impression that this album is one gigantic uninterrupted composition with various nuances embedded into it. The switches from one etude to another are not very smooth, sometimes thoroughly unexpected, but this is far from a wild, disorganized ride as the permeating, strangely soothing main hypnotic motif binds everything together, seldom loosening its grip on the proceedings.

The guys carried on for another couple of years with a demo and a compilation released, but apparently with the attainment of the official release some of the enthusiasm had gone away. It’s tiring, this constant game of light and shadows; it exhausts the mind and the body; it makes you lose touch with reality…