In Somber Dreams

For something that resides on a much warmer end of the doom/death genre, Mother Of Graves actually took a few spins to grow on me. Being one of the first artists on Wise Blood Records, they brought forth In Somber Dreams. It sounds exactly the way you’re picturing, because there is a somber, sadder feeling underneath this entire EP. Brace yourselves, it’s a pretty hazy ride.

All around, the guitar tones are extremely warm, and there isn’t a lot of distortion traditional to doom metal or death metal. The leads come through very cleanly, poking through a misty atmosphere and booming basslines that can be felt miles away. This gives off a somewhat gazey element (deathgaze, eh?). With that said, the vocals still reside on the hoarse end, coming in with clear precision but still being boasted as harsh growls. So you could probably just call it very slow melodic death metal?

It isn’t all that way though. The ending of the title track picks up some serious speeds and drives the cloud of rhythm early on with some super fast drumming and grittier riffs. “Nameless Burial” follows this with a far darker mood thanks to more threatening passages. The keys on it add a special layer of spookiness. “The Urn” offers us the cleanest passages on the entire EP to precede a monstrous gallop, and “Deliverance” finishes things off on a steady groove before hitting an eruptive outing.

Though an unconventional pick for yours truly, In Somber Dreams was absolutely worth giving time to grow on me. If you’ve come by for dirty riffs and cavernous howls, I’d keep riding forward. However, all fans of the sadboi side of this genre should make a quick stop. Lots of layers to peel off for such a short offering.

Originally written for Metal Inferno