The Rock Blogger

Skepticism. Alloy. 2008. 4 stars.

This is an intensely powerful funeral doom metal album from Finland’s Skepticism. The riffs are dense and suffocating as they slowly drive their way through waves of melodic synth organs and meditative percussion. Complete with deep, ominous growls, the sound of Alloy is impenetrably dark and consuming, mirroring the equally oppressive work of Esoteric (The Maniacal Vale in particular).

Alloy is devastatingly bleak, so much so that the haunting lift of organs take on a ritualistic character, sending out a demonic chill over the proceedings. While these elements remain consistent across the album’s entirety, it is still rich with texture, as the distortion-drenched guitars chug and grind out a frosty, cavernous atmosphere. The song structures themselves may not develop into anything over-elaborate, these dirges are still ripe with painful emotion.

Though it may not possess any astounding structural complexities, Alloy is still a punishing work of metal. Its production is solid and booming, its musicianship killer and the brooding feelings they uncover are overwhelming. Doom metal abstracted, stretched out and striking for the heart. Alloy lays down a crushing blow.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 5th, 2009 at 1:00 pm and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.