Doom Metal
RIYL: Witch Mountain, Castle, Lucifer
From their Bandcamp page:
A four piece female fronted doom band both French and Irish. Creating heavy, fuzzy sound and hazy atmosphere in their music, which wishes to transcend listeners minds to another world. Through haunting vocals and hypnotic rhythms heated from witchcraft to more introspective trips. Deathbell comes from that of a flower, once consumed gives you the ability to see all.
This record is heavy. It’s also beautiful. For some, it might not be your cup of tea. For others, you might grovel at the sheer amount of wonder it will stir inside you. Serving as the band’s debut EP, With The Beyond is a monolithic slab of doom metal that is a must for any heavy music discography. Comprised of Lauren Gaynor (vocals & keys), Bastien Commelongue (guitars & keys), Valentin Troï (bass) and Robin Draye (drums), the Toulouse, France quartet offer sonic sustenance for otherworldly odysseys into the unknown abyss.
What’s uncanny is the amount of riffage coming off of Commelongue’s axe. On track “Emerald Eyes Shine,” it’s as if they took the best parts of The Phantom of the Opera , downtuned them, and unleashed an aural attack that will literally shake the fillings from your teeth. As the EP continues, we’re met with what sounds like a Sabbath inspired track with “Come to Trouble” that carries a Iommi & Butler inspired guitar and bass section. There is a haunting backdrop to this, that is nothing but heavy fuzz, with a vocal lament that makes it contender for the best heavy record of 2018.
Replete with long form tracks, and truncated, but near perfect doom forays, the latter part of the EP is like a journey through the depths. Imagine a soundtrack for some of the heavier parts of a D&D campaign: That’s Deathbell and With the Beyond. The sonic textures contained throughout give you something different to hone in on with each listen. Every riff, bass lick, cymbal crash, and vocal wail are expertly mixed.
Ultimately, you will be hard pressed to find a better EP of heavy tunes this year. This will send shivers down your spine, and cause you to spiral out into the great unknown. It’s a killer record. Crank it up.
