By Gruesome Greg
Got seventy-five minutes to spare? This new, eight-track album from Beneath Oblivion is a long one, to be sure, most songs pushing or exceeding the ten-minute mark. Even the so-called “Intro” is seven-minutes plus!
That said, there is definitely some meat on this massive platter, with a couple tunes recalling the cosmic doom of Zoroaster, while elsewhere it takes on more of a death-doom feel. There are also a few sparse, bright, instrumental passages scattered throughout that remind me of the new Rwake. The gurgling death metal vocals are a bit of a turnoff for me, though they sorta suit the music at times.
The title track comes last, nineteen minutes of slow, oozing, blackened atmospheric doom. Some more of those eerie instrumental passages make an appearance, adding texture to this massive tome. But yes, it is a little lengthy, to be sure.
As a whole, this album is a very long slog, but not an entirely unpleasant one.
(The Mylene Sheath)
