Black Soil

I only recently discovered this band, and they've quickly made their way into being a daily listen. This is possibly my favorite of their releases... Slow, absolutely devastating and plodding thick droning doom made with drums, two bass guitars and some madman hollering about god knows what. My description for it has been "Reverend Bizarre, Om and Sunn 0))) all had a drunken orgy and this is the illegitimate lovechild of that orgy." You will not find anything but abrasive sonic murk here.

It's seemingly basic music, the dual bass guitars create a suffocating and viscous atmosphere and the vox range from a rasping bark to very oddball and dramatic cleans that sound like a tormented leper shrieking in pain in the valley. The vocals are among some of the best I've ever heard for this style of doom and add a significant amount to the already unwelcoming atmosphere. They sound sincere and totally manic at times, ripping through the droning bass with ferocious intensity or quietly singing along in a very creepy and sickly fashion. Hail Conjurer is featured on drums, doing his signature hypnotic cymbalwork and beating the shit out of his toms to enforce the oppressive feel of all this put together. Imagine being at the bottom of the ocean, crushed underneath boulders begging for even a glimpse of light, knowing full well it'll never come and you're damned to your murky grave for eternity.

While being simplistic the music is anything but amateur, rather it sounds like masters at work; quality crafters of malicious and dark doom. The songs are long but feel like they're over almost too quickly, in terms of "my god I want more!" I find myself nodding along to the trudging molasses march and craving another listen when it ends. There's something so endearing about this stuff, it grabs hold of you and refuses to let go until it finishes its dance of gloomy hateful worship.

This album, and band itself are so ominous, menacing and heavy. It's so fucking heavy. It may even dethrone Conan as the heaviest band I know of currently. Don't miss out if you're a fan of this kind of music, but beware there is not an ounce of reprieve here - this is doom for "true" doom fans, to be blunt. Black Soil is utterly uncompromising in every facet of the word and doesn't give a damn how you feel about it.

Favorite track: Eternal Spring