Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Altar Of Oblivion - Barren Grounds (2016)

Releasing on the 30th of September, we have a new EP release from these Danish doom metallers which I found quite assuring. Aside from the familiar doom wallops that we're used to, there's a definite air of classic metal here that reminds me heavily of acts like Candlemass. But that's a good thing, as we can all do with more Candlemass. Maybe Mik Mentor's vocal lines aren't as good as Mats Levén's, but the guitar work of Allan B. Larsen and Martin Meyer Mendelssohn Sparvath is certainly worth denoting. That doesn't all the time equal out to a solo as the misty “Lost” showcases, but when these men do offer up a set of riffs and melodies, we often get a very classic approach that only reminds me of the best efforts in this genre. Sparvath also handles the keyboard work here too, which can definitely change the whole tone of the band (as in the aforementioned, which isn't even a metal track per se) and makes the whole performance much more than that of what might first appear to be a mere Candlemass clone. They've got the right idea here, leaving listeners with a good slice of doom that serves as a tribute to classics, as well as little bit more. Not bad for an EP release.

(4 Tracks, 18:00)

7/10

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