In the Grip of Despair

Doom, love it or hate it. It's a vast genre that drops monster recordings every now and then. And this is a fine example of a monstrous album. If you like the type of doom that punches you straight in the face, prepare yourself for a sonic assault that will leave you lying on the floor in a pool of excrement. Wow, this shit is downright dirty!

I don't know how Sin of Angels is fliying below Southern Lord and Peaceville radars. They have amazing chemistry and impressive ways of creating solid jams that have a desperate/nocturnal atmosphere, without the use of keyboards. It's all about the riff! To describe Sin of Angels is difficult, you gotta see them live and feel the music. I'd would say they possess elements similar to Iron Monkey, Eyehategod, Grief, and Electric Wizard, but much darker & evil. Then again, they have their own sound like most Rhode Island bands are known for. And once In The Grip Of Despair gets it's hooks into you, there's no release.

The cover art sets the tone for what's to come; it looks like a bleak New England forest in the embrace of a mid-winter Nor'easter. In The Grip Of Despair offers 9 slabs of whiskey-fueled, riff laden doom! The production is tight and all instruments are upfront in the mix. I love the guitars. Picture a Saint Vitus sound on steroids. The guitars are cold, and soulfully bluesy at times, with an endless barrage of chords that chug along at a turtle's pace. The vocals are a fierce growl, oppressive and guttural, and with lyrics like, "Forget your dreams. Live in misery and desperation, you will falter. This life may be less than what it seems." You can't help but feel the desperation! The drums are colossal, and gallop into oblivion for 45 minutes with concrete heavy breaks, great snare patterns, and incredible cymbal crashes. The bass is brooding and right up front as you would expect from a great doom record. It's the type of bass playing that vibrates your whole frame from head to toe, and leaves the listener chilly with goose bumps all over.

In The Grip Of Despair is a majestic release and probably will go unlistened by many. If you're the type of metal head with attention deficit disorder who likes their music with blast beats and tons of screaming, don't look here. But if you're a metal fan who likes cold and heavy doom metal slow to mid paced, with great songs and killer lyrics, look no further... are you still sitting there reading this shitty review? Go grab a copy of this album and let the pillars of doom crash upon your fucking head... "may your path ahead be lit by the bridges you've burned!"