Ελληνικά
Last Updated on 08:47 AM by Nikos Nakos
Genre: Doom
Label: I Hate Records
Country: Canada
Year: 2016
Sometimes we feel content listening to specific tunes and sounds. Each of us has a soft spot for specific bands (or genres) and we get disappointed when that sound seems so sterile that it basically becomes a simple reproduction of the past. Doom is, unfortunately, one such genre. It’s not that we don’t get quality releases anymore or that there aren’t any great bands, it’s just the sad fact that the majority of this specific style “feels” a little bit stagnant (with a few, but brilliant, exceptions).
Zaum, with their distinct sound or mantra doom as they call it, are an exception. If I am to be completely honest I didn’t know of them before this album, thus they were a pleasant surprise for me. In addition to the usual instruments that can be encountered in metal music the Canadians also use sitar in a pretty successful way. This by itself is not something unique, after all there are other bands that occasionally use oriental instruments. But Zaum go one step further with their oriental / atmospheric synths, guiding us in “a passage toward the dark realizations of ancient civilization” (as mentioned on their facebook page). And the icing on the cake? Vocals parts influenced by Mongolian throat singing that blend with an already good sound, complex and easy to listen at the same time. “Eidolon” consists of two 20 minutes long tracks that are anything but boring. Quite the contrary, listening to those song is quite pleasant (though using that word for a little doom dark gem seems kind of weird).
This mantra doom album from Canada might not be considered as pure metal by some. Perhaps the use of oriental instruments and sounds will push away those loyal to the usual doom sound. But Zaum manage to do something very important in this album, to achieve a unique dark feeling, that feeling that is the soul of true doom sound.
4.5/6
