Granite Planet

Reworking the definition of doom-death into something quite different, UK quartet Subsilence focus more on the doom side of things, incorporating sludgy riffs and raw rasping growls in a marriage between older Sabbath and Orange Goblin, with a hint of My Dying Bride in the vocal delivery. Granite Planet marks their début full-length after their EP Uncanny Valley, although the songs from there slot in with the album material fairly seamlessly. The band also showcases the usually unsung hero of doom metal: the bassist.

The first song is fairly deceptive in starting the album; a bluesy sludge riff in the vein of Orange Goblin entertains and the chorus of “I Am Megalodon” is fairly catchy, showcasing the band’s tight production. Ed’s guitarplaying shifts between doom-laden Sabbath-like riffs in the verses to a stoner-like solo with ease, and Bertie’s a solid drummer with his rhythm, although a little variety would have spiced up the album. Ana’s basslines are most impressive, rumbling and meandering of their own accord, creating their own melody such as on “Bonds” or contributing to one of the most crushing intros I’ve heard in a while on “Abandoned”. Subsilence slows to a crawl at some points (“To Change Is To Die”) but as a non-veteran listener of doom-death, they fail to grab me so much. Where the band inject energy and pace is the most enjoyable bit, such as in “Uncanny Valley”, which sounds almost akin to newer Satyricon.

When Pete’s vocals first start, they are a well-suited raw growl which due the strong production are front and center for a lot of the album. In some louder parts, this works really well, but the quiet sections may have worked better instrumentally when his voice is such an attention-grabber. However, the real minus point of this album, and what stops me from fully enjoying it, are the cleans. Pete’s singing, as well as sounding slightly inebriated, is fairly off-key such as in “Gravity Well” and downright forced in “Abandoned”, ultimately ruining what would have been some very solid songs. As a result, the best songs have little to none of this singing (“Sidewinder, “Uncanny Valley”) and instead focus on his Stainthorpe-esque growl.

In short, although the musicianship gets major plus points (especially the guitarist and bassist who provide memorable lines and rhythm), the vocals provide a major obstacle to fully enjoying this album. That said, if you can get past the off moments then Granite Planet is worth a spin. Hopefully the next release from this band will tickle my fancy a bit more.

Originally written for www.metalrecusants.com