Shattered Hope – Vespers

Last Updated on 10:24 PM by Giorgos Tsekas

Genre: Funeral Doom
Country: Greece
Label: Solitude Productions
Year: 2020

Shattered Hope have propitiously reached the point of being able to give another melancholic, autumn-like vibe to all of us, the moment we need it. That being said, and considering that the doom genre has reached its’ peak this year with so many great releases being added to the quiver of it, Shattered Hope deliver “Vespers”, six years after the release of “Waters of Lethe”.

In five lengthy pieces, all of whom including a really unique structure, the Athenians manage to grow the listeners’ interest; nothing of what we hear can be blamed, for being repetitive and tedious whatsoever. Dark, loud riffs, amidst a stifling atmosphere and a particular ambience that exudes despair and grief, combined with dense drums, all combined with the themes of the band, the album can be included among the best ones of the genre. “Vespers” is not an album that foretells hope – on the contrary, makes one think whether they like it or not, in a more negative and eerie perspective. For that reason, it might be able to win a lot of hearts from the very first time. I really hope it does not bury itself within piles of “underrated gems” and gets to be spread all over a large audience.

So, November is around the door and Shattered Hope, at a time when everything seems to be in vain, bring out something to hold on to with “Vespers”.

4.5/6