Search - Isole :: Forevermore

Epic/Funeral/Death Doom Metal.

D. Knouse | vancouver, washington United States | 03/23/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The only negatives I can think of for this Doom Metal album are that there are times when the production sounds "inexpensive", and the occasional section that slows down to the snail's pace of Funeral Doom. I become impatient with Funeral Doom, as it tends to sound more like background atmosphere than actual songwriting. As for my reference to the production sounding "inexpensive", it is not to say the sound is bad. In fact, the overall sound of the CD is vast with expansive echoes that compliments the Epic Doom sections nicely; the vocals, in particular, rise and soar with ghostly resonance. It frequently amazes me that this band is only a three-piece, with the drummer doubling as lead singer. But this is certainly no Century Media production, as the very first song shows with its abrupt beginning with an explosion of churning guitars. No fade-in or intro track, just a sense of "here we are, ready or not!" and the producer pushes record at just the right moment and...we begin. I have read elswhere that this band has been called Epic Doom Metal, and there is plenty of that here, but there are too many Funeral Doom sections and some Death/Doom thrown in toward the end to call this simply Epic Doom. As for the actual songwriting, it is very good for the most part as these guys mix up the tempos nicely. When they aren't content to wallow in Funeral Doom drowsiness for minutes on end they actually accelerate past the mid-tempo threshold and do some interesting work. I wouldn't go so far as to label this a masterpiece in the Doom Metal genre, but it is a solid effort with plenty of promise for the future of the band. Running time: (58:14)



1. THE WATCHER (7:49)

2. DECIEVER (7:56)

3. AGE OF DARKNESS (7:08)

4. FOREVERMORE (6:06)

5. PREMONITIONS (7:06)

6. BEYOND THE BLACK (10:14)

7. MOONSTONE (11:52)"