The Great Seal

No matter how revered Finnish doom granddaddies Spiritus Mortis may be, calling their fifth album (yes, only the fifth since 1987) The Great Seal is bound to attract some ridicule. Marine animals aside, some human movement has gone on in the ranks since The Year Is One in 2016, with Kimmo Perämäki taking the place of Sami Hynninen on vocals and Markus Kuula taking over drums from Jarkko Seppälä. Replacing perhaps the most distinctive Finnish doom singer ever is no mean feat, though Perämäki capably dominates many of the songs in a manner similar to how Robert Lowe fitted into Candlemass. He wails and gnashes through some of the mid-tempo numbers, then smothers everything in creepy intensity for the slower than slow ‘Are You a Witch’.

The rest of Spiritus Mortis remain at the groove-soaked edge of doom, sounding bluesy at the outset of ‘Martyrdom Operation’, as if participating in some kind of Pentagram-soundtracked James Bond throwback. As such, the riffs prove simple but catchy, with many of the songs getting under the skin by the second or third listen. However, it remains contestable whether any of them can deliver a killer blow, and that’s rather concerning for a band of this pedigree, not to mention that ‘Skoptsy’ spends a pretty flat 5 minutes between a couple of the highlights and ‘Feast of the Lord’ ends up fairly unremarkable too. It probably depends what kind of expectations and what kind of doom you have in mind going into this, since those fond of the characterful end of Sabbath and Trouble’s trademarks ought to be very pleased with this classic set of classy tunes, though those slavering for something creakingly heavy or truly eccentric won’t be so bothered. Three slow seal claps for Spiritus Mortis.


Originally written for Metalegion #12 - www.metalegion.com