My Top 5 Doom Metal Albums

1- Evoken: Atra Mors (2012)
2- Evoken: Antithesis of Light (2005)
3- Daylight Dies: Dismantling Devotion (2006)
4- Saturnus: Saturn in Ascension (2012)
5- My Dying Bride: The Dreadful Hours (2001)

Morphia

This air of silence,

Breathes through the sullen mist.

Transparent winds,

Ease these age-old wounds.

As stale thoughts disappear,

Through Morpheus pathways.

I am in wake but dreaming.

This warmth annuls,

As time drew slowly upon this wretch of life.

Weary sighs of condolence never did urge with zest,

The fire within hands made to rest.

Swallow me within sin,

This blood flows free through my veins.

Procure my will through lascivious rite.

Delving subliminal realms,

As lust invites me to stay,

Engulfed within flesh.

Casting gaze at the puppets,

Acting out their play.

Their slightly wooden frames,

Stretched and splintered by their masters.

Crawling beneath their minds' eye.

Those whom follow, reflect,

And do not become.

Not to be...Not to be...

Their words waste my time here,

With their fragrantless tones.

A veil to distract those whom wouldst live.

To create, 

Not to serve.

I walk amongst the shadows of the dead,

Thoughts bleeding into the ether.

Into endless night.

Lyrics: Esoteric

Snow Cold Visions

Here I am, in saturated white,

Carrying my burden of life

Through the crimson streetlights,

An entity rarely seen

Or noticed.

Lyrics: Station Dysthymia

Station Dysthymia

By chance, I met this band with an intriguing name "Station Dysthymia". They're good, i mean really good! A delightful surprise in these days of stagnation. The music is very intellectual, genuine and emotional. They've put some of the tracks for free download. Hailing from cold Siberia: "Station Dysthyima"! 
(Courtesy of Darkport.org)

Suffer a Martyr's Trial

Take them from us, the pitiful ones
Pleading for bleak light's return... betrayed by impending dusk
Finding no solace in the deeply lowering gloom
They travel the path of the condemned in silent horror

Onward into the unspeakable, no savior awaits in forgiveness

Lead us unto ruin, devourer of hope
In night's solemn presence
The accursed procession approaches their destiny
Fields in neglect; unconsecrated by blood and monumental agony
Behold, crosses for the dead
Their distorted shadows forewarn the tragedy

The lurking fear tightens with each labored breath

May we curse the gods in our final hour; the ones they have abandoned
The dead and the dying; all sought in vain their own divine rescue
Begin the mortification of flesh, limbs transfixed upon wooded stakes
Extinction of thy very being;
Hammerfalls resound through the gently sloping hills...

Burn the dead now; let the ashes scatter without remembranceAs those without hope, forgotten in eternity

Evoken

Atra Mors On Its Way

Profound Lore Records finally confirmed: Evoken Breaks its 5 year silence with their new album "Atra Mors"(terrible death or dark death). There's no secret: i'm huge fan of Lyndhurst-based pioneers of funeral doom. Like many fans anticipating another spectacular album, i'm psyching about the content and style of Evoken in their latest work. Hopefully they won't back up and follow their solid trend. Evoken has been a permanent part of my life, i can remember each day of my internship listening to "Antithesis of Light" late at nights...

Seen as one of America’s forefathers of the death/funeral/doom metal movement and having forged in the early nineties where the New Jersey outfit, by incorporating such influences as old-school Paradise Lost, Disembowelment, Thergothon etc. would carve their own legacy in the annals of the doom metal movement as one of its pinnacle and essential bands.  With a career spanning almost 20 years and four unparalleled full-length albums, all essential and classic in their own right, that define EVOKEN’s repertoire, “Atra Mors” (the Latin translation for “Black Death”) signals a new chapter and turning point in the EVOKEN legacy.

Recorded and committed to tape over a six-month period at Sound Spa studios in Edison, New Jersey, “Atra Mors” sees EVOKEN comprise their most ambitious album to date.  While still upholding the utterly colossal, apocalyptic, and extraordinary heaviness the band have become synonymous for, “Atra Mors” sees EVOKEN embrace new ground by experimenting a bit more with the use of ambience and atmosphere, deploying a stronger sense of melody (and moments of tranquility) during some of the album’s discourse along with delivering moments that harken back to the ancient days of pure old-school death metal.

@Profound Lore Records

My New Albums

Sun Kil Moon : Ghosts of The Great Highway (2003)  /Genre: Slowcore /52+19
Josh Groban : Closer (2003) /Genre: (Pop, Classical) /149
God Is An Astronaut : All Is Violent, All Is Bright /Genre: Post-Rock  /72
Alcest : Souvenir d'un Autre Monde Genre: Post-Rock  /81
The Prophecy : Revelations /Genre: Death/Doom Metal  /77
Electric Wizard : Let Us Prey Genre: Doom Metal  /56
Callisto : Providence /Genre: Post-Metal  /106
Jesu : Ascension(Incomplete) /Genre: Post-Rock, Industrial Rock  /37
Black Shape of Nexus : b.son /Genre: Post-Metal/Sludge Metal  /62
Neun Welten : Vergessene Pfade /Genre: Neofolk  /66
Wreck of Hesperus : Light Rotting Out (2011) Genre: Funeral Doom Metal  /67
Joe Pass : Sound of Synanon (1961) Genre: Jazz  /95
Low : I Could Live In Hope (1994) Genre: Slowcore /51
Scatter The Ashes : Devout/The Modern Hym /Genre: Post-Punk /41
Les Discretes : Septembre Et Ses Derniere Pensees /Genre: Post-Rock /81
Idaho : Alas /Genre: Slowcore/26
P.O.D : When Angels and Serpents Dance /Genre: Christian Metal /82
Pantheist : O'Solitude (2003) /Genre: Funeral Doom Metal /87
Tenhi : Kauan /Genre: Neofolk /47 
Tiamat : Panopticpn (2008) /Genre: Gothic Metal /108

Dilapidation and Death

Trying to separate the outside from the inside
Trying to remain calm, 'though they mix in subtle manner
Chaos inside, losing all hope, basking in pain that seems endless
Alone in this life and its futile signs of malignant forms
Silent hatred for nothing, weakened for everything


Gloom is no more the same, light increases the pain in this suffering
Feelings have shriveled to death, awaiting to die with no idolatry
Believing in nothing at all
These bleeding veins are as indifferent as existence in itself
No sorrow behind these wounds, just hatred and pain
Reaching the end for good


I might as well just sleep and awake no more to watch the dilapidation of all
I might as well just dream there would be a life instead of growing nothingness


"Who told you that I wouldn't come back to you
I am inside and growing, destroying your mind and your worthless dreams
Corrupting your senses, erasing the reason and all that's left of you
You can't escape for I've become you - forevermore!"


The sight is darkening and chaos reigns in here
There's no more explanations for this seems like the end
All your precious memories and wishes are gone
The swirl of damnation furls you to this nightmare
Touching the cosmic horror beyond the space and time
Reaching for inhuman experience, the journey to afar
The limits of mind are gone, hallucinating the death of the universe
Vortex of chaos and hell leaves only ash and dust


There was none to witness the death of a man who saw it all coming
Juhani Palumaki

My Album of The Month (May 2011)

Shape of Despair : Illusion's Play 2004

Fabulous , just a fantastic piece of art from finnish pioneers of funeral doom genre.It's really hard to specify a favourite song .Illusion's play count as an unwavering display of atmospheric funeral doom music:how far and clean this subgenre can penetrate.How masterfully it can explore the senses of sadness and terror. It summons very deep forgotten sentiments of the listener. Patient doom metal fans will find this  album so astonishing , as it has been positively received by most funeral hard-liners.Not recommended to all , yet a funeral doom masterppiece indeed !

My Album Of the Month (February)

"The definitive doom album of the new millennium. Evoken's second full-length CD combines dark, haunting atmospheres with soul-crushing riffs and the heaviest, thickest production ever heard. Clocking in at well over an hour, be prepared to journey into landscapes of gloom-drowned subterranean worlds where the music of lost souls is eternally played by avatars of Orpheus. Quietus displays an unparalleled mastery of doom metal, establishing Evoken as leaders in this burgeoning genre. Prepare for the desolation of your soul..."
@nnm.ru

My Album of The Month (January)

Evoken : A Caress of The Void 2007

I found some novel dimensions of their music.The concept is surprisingly familiar entwined with illustrious verses and words.Evoken is for and about the patient listener.It's against all trade marks and commercial tips.It's dark,deep and desolate.

Once you feel it's simply easy with down-tunned slow guitar riffs and sluggish tempo,but that's exactly where the paradox arises; they've created a unique sound ,a theatrical vision and a horror atmosphere at a near perfect level.

The ensemble of piano/keyboard ,bass, lead guitar and the combination of Death growl/soft whispers is a solid composition. Undoubtedly one of the pioneers of Funeral Doom .

My favorite tracks are:

Astray in Eternal Night

Suffer A Martyr's Trial(Procession at Dusk)

and

Orogeny

Pedram Feb 5

Astray In Eternal Night

Woeful wraith, obscured in veils of stalking night
Once again, reliving the final fragments of a bygone dream
Too long, you have languished in this desolate place
Perdition of your soul, suffer now forevermore
With a glance that turned my heart'- blood to frost
She descended each stair with unearthly grace

The dust-ridden scent of abandoned tombs, like perfume
Awakened by an unrevealed longing, perhaps to live again
Free from the pains of mortality, the vast unknown
The frail dreams of life buried deep beneath the confinements of earth

Sleep again, restless Eidolon
Return to non-existence, tranquillity in the silence of coffins
Your eyes of misted glass
Mesmerise and who but I drawn forward
Lost in a reverie of tears

With a voice long forsaken
A promise of eternal bliss was spoken
Turning away from that aura of coldest intent
For I saw nothingness: A blackest chasm of despair
And yet I still covet thee

Evoken 
Pic : Vincos  http://vincos.it/

Mirrors of Despair

I stare into my face 
We are connected by solitude 
Together tied in chains of despair 
Not a gleam of hope
Mentally enslaved nameless 
Having no future and no past 
I look at myself from 
The surface of a black lake 

Mirrors call 
Mirrors melt 
Mirrors take me out of here 

What the silver moon sings about 
In eternal collapse at night 
What i am looking for 
In the empty skies (empty like me) 
A swallow of freedom sticks in my throat 
When the sun goes down 
In the mirrors of despair 
There is only my face


words : Comatose Vigil
image : Regina Lafay

Aesthetics of the Grotesque

in loving memory of : Juhani Palomaki

Murder becomes essential in preserving the worlds beyond within



Last night I slept with mother earth


She become my precious whore






Now night breeds the flock of stillborn thoughts


There's nothing more


Flesh and soul are but words


Insomniacs transparent phantasms






Worlds within worlds


Unchanging chemistry and science


Sleep for you'll never see any of me


No..






Now I'm standing under bloody rain


I wish I had had words, but they never came






Now i'm standing beside the dead


I wish I had had something I've never imagined


You're just one, one among others


They're taking me away..


Away for good

My Album of The Month(October)

Melancholic ,Majestic and beautiful...all i can say about this album. What makes Evoken so especial is the authenticity of their music,words and themes. It might seem weird but i'm sure the band follows a keen interest in humanism. I watched the official video-clip for "In pestilence,Burning".The first time, i couldn't stand more than a minute of it ,scenes of Auschwitz  extermination camp,the crematorium in the main Auschwitz camp,the ovens...
This music is about pain, about solitude ,despair, and i want to say it's mostly about human .Evoken follows splendid concerns ,sagely dissects the issues as it reflects in lyrics.
Quiets was a notable step forward for doom metal genre,with keyboard beautifully integrated with the whole dynamics of doom music,added a novel dimension to the genre and deepened the somber sound. 
Added to this the crushing riffs ,excellent production and specifically  i want to pay tribute to the most gifted singer John Paradiso.Paradiso manages to carry the burden of gloomy theme and complex senses of horror and melancholy .An unbelievable mix of desperate growls  and melancholic whispers makes a favorable outcome. During my internship at Imam hospital i  stayed wide awaken with Evoken music and the music convey the essence of the period most perfectly.
Evoken music is something special,for special tastes.Certainly not recommended to those who  prefer to follow the popular trend of skating on the surface. 

Music On My Radar

I' ve been  closely following some new bands:also as always  i will give some variant genres a try;actually April was fully conquered by unique mournful sound of Shape Of Despair; i ' ve been listening to music as long as i can remember; but this kind of expression through a band's sound is something really rare.i had Angels of Distress since last September but i found the profund quality of it just lately.
Anyway May has been another revoking process ; i listened to Over The Rhine 's Trumpet Child again;and i have to say this couple are just fantastic;if you're interested in jazz music this album is a Must-Buy definitely.
But ...bands i 'm curious about them are these;

1-Source of Deep Shadows; Polish Doom Metal band and their 2007 album Source of Doom And Perpetual Night  specifically is in my Wish-List


2-The Stanley Brothers : Legendary Virginia-based Bluegrass band active between 1946 - 1966
 you better watch the lyrics of their song 'Your Worries and Troubles Are Mine " so mesmerizing sound belongs to this cult band


3-Abstract Spirit : Russian Funeral Doom Metal hail their 2009 Tragedy and Weeds is in my Wish-List


4-Shearwater  : Indie Rock band from Austin;their 2008 Rook is a highly praised album received an  average score of 85 indicating Universal Acclaim based on 20 reviews. Lyrics mostly focused on Nature and Fairy Tale


5-Lapsus Dei : Brutal Doom Metal band from Chile : after 2005 Beyond The Truth ;they haven't released a single EP; Highly lionized band for Doom Metal Fans

6-Flowing Tears : Outstanding Gothic Metal band from Germany;their album  "Thy Kingdom Gone" is in spotlight


7-Giant Squid : Progressive Metal act from Austin again ! i'm so curious about this 
american metal band .Overall their albums received a high score .


8-Circus Of Damnation : Italian Experimental Doom Metal band


9-Wormphlegm : Finnish Funeral Drone/Doom  Metal ; quite mysterious band


10-Depressed Mode : Finnish Ex- Funeral Doom/Death Metal act; i actually listened to their 2009 album "...For Death " actually it didn't turn to one of my favorites .

11-Comatose Vigil : Russian Funeral Doom Metal; my main target is their 2005 "Not A Gleam Of Hope"


12-Worm Ouroboros ; Exciting Post-Rock ,Post-Metal band with strong folk influence;This San Fransisco-based Trio seems something interesting  Interview here


13-Moonspell  : Gothic Metal giants ;Night Eternal...


14-Earthless : Pschedelic Rock band from San Diego


15-Riverside :"Anno Domini High Definition"2009 by Polish Progressive Rock/Meral bands;one of my favorite bands.

16-The Gathering : Werst Pole "2009


17-Karnivool : Five-piece Alternative/Progressive Rock band from Perth ;Their 2010 "Sound Awake " sounds enthralling


19-Canvas Solaris : Georgia based Progressive Metal band


20-Octopus : Progressive Rock/Metal band from Chile





21-Amorphis : Skyforger !


22-The Almost : American Alternative/Christian Rock band


23-Mogwai : Scottish Post-Rock band ;typically compose lenghty guitar-based instrumental pieces that feature dynamic contrast , melodic bass guitar lines,and heavy use of distortion and effects


24-My Vitriol : Alternative Rock from London


25-My Bloody Valentine ; Alternative Rock pioneers from Dublin

26-Brief Candles :They Live We Sleep A Review here


27-Ulver ;  Ambient-Avant-Garde-Industrial band from Norway


28- 31 Knots  : Math Rock / Indie Rock from Portland,Oregan 


29- Re123+ : Belorussian drone Metal act ; theomegaorder.com described their music as compelling mixture of drone,doom and post-metal atmospherics.

My New Albums

My New Albums:
1- Woods ------------ I was gone 2010
2- Broadway Project ----------The Vessel 2004
3- Colosseum ----------- Chapter I:Delirium 2007
4- Remembrance -----------Fall,Obsidian Night 2010
5- Aldebaran -------------Dwellers in Twilight 2007
6- Arco ----------------Transparency 2002
7-Audrey ---------------- The Fierce and The Longing 2009
8-Early Day Miners ------------- The Treatment 2009


image : Colosseum 

My Album Of the Month

Otkroveniya Dozhdya(2009)  
Russian Melodic Doom/Death Metal band ;presents a pure sound of the genre
Slow melancholic Throbbing sound with death growls beautifully done.
The band is from Podolsk Moscow.
My favorite tracks are track 2: I Left Myself Here and Track 4:Winter Grief

Cold Caress

It's more than music;more than simple hobby,when the sound targets deeper layers of cognition,it's a rare classy experience nowadays;finding the pure revelation of what goes inside.

I lived with the growls,i felt the agony the bleak atmosphere ...it's all familiar to what i've felt,all these years ,every 5:30 morning rise-up,every moment of mine being secluded...

Solitude;a key element of my life...now i really adore this kingdom of mine;to share this with people who ruin all the senses,denying all the beauty with their color blind eyes?

This was the honest sound;ringing in my ear...and i am to listen to them...to feel them

It's a privilege to understand the difficult distorted screams;the inoccent who don't find another way to express their pale existence .

It's a honor belonging to a minority ...

My November-December Albums

Some of them belong to long lasted wish-list,and some were chosen by genre or after explore about their genre,lyrics,conceptual themes,etc:it's mostly related to November and December,

i'll write a review about some of the selected ones,but i wanna get'em a go first,as an experience a first time listener can't be the judge,i'll see which ones will come onto my iPod. There are exceptions but overall i think it'll be cool.

1-Ben Woods >>>a Collection of Thoughts2009>>>Piano,Contemporary Classic

He's a full time student at the university of Plymoth.I vote for this album as a high quality ;including 10 tracks my favorite : Taking small Steps Pt 2

2-Mangled Torsos>>>Anatomia Reformata1993>>>Death/Doom Metal

a hybrid blend of death and doom formed in 1991 in (Pforzheim, Baden-Württemberg) Germany

3-dISEMBOWLMENT>>>Transcendencce into the peripheral1993>>Doom/Death Metal

short lived but influential australian band;simply majestic album.They added elements unheard in metal scene,sophisticated and dark album;i was looking for them since i heard them as one of main influences on Evoken;know i realize how

4-Eddie Vedder>>>into the wild soundtrack2007>>>Folk Rock

i like Eddie Vedder's voice;my favorite track: Hard Sun

5-Nick Drake>>>Pink Moon1972>>>Folk

unmissable,minimal,masterful !

6-Isis>>>Wavering Radiant2009>>>Post-Metal

i haven't listen to this ;Jeff Caxide quoted:[Turner]mentioned that Carl Jung was a major influence on the concept and lyrics"

7-Sunn O)))>>>Monoliths and Dimensions2009>>>Drone/Experimental Metal

not yet !

8-Morgion>>>Cloaked by ages Crowned in Earth2004>>>Death/Doom Metal

9-Pelican>>>What we All Comed To Need2009>>>Post-Metal

10-Dirge>>>Wings of Lead Over Dormant Seas2007>>>Post-Metal/Sludge Metal

11-The Sins of Thy Beloved>>>Lake of Sorrow1998>>>Gothic/Doom Metal

12-John Frusciante>>>Shadows Collide With People2004>>>Alternative Rock

13-Russian Circles>>>Geneva2009>>>Post-Metal

14-Katatonia>>>Night Is The New Day2009>>>Depressive Rock

15-Of The Wand And Th e Moon>>>Lucifer>>>Neofolk

16-Nox Aurea>>>Via Gnosis2009>>>Doom/Death Metal

17-Ender>>>Ender 2008>>>Post-Metal

18-Moving Mountains>>>Pneuma2007>>>Post-Rock/Alternative Rock

19-Blazing Eternity>>Time And The Unknown Waters2000>>Doom/Death Metal

20-Funeral>>>As The Light Does The Shadow2008>>>Doom Metal

21-Elysian Blaze>>>Levitating The Carnal2008>>>Black/doom Metal

22-Forrest Of Shadows>Under The Dying Sun2000>Melodic Doom/Death Metal

23-Forrest Of Shadows>>>Departure2004>>>Melodic Doom/Death Metal

24-Forrest Of Shadows>>>Six Waves Of Woe2008>>Melodic Doom/Death Metal

25-Solicide>>>der untergang des abendlandes2003>>>Funeral Doom Metal

26-Nostalgia77>>>Weapons Of Jazz Destruction2007>>>Jazz

27-Leafblade>>>Beyond,Beyond2009>>>Acoustic

28-A Backward Glance On A Travel Road>A Backwaed....2009>Progressive Rock

29-Malevolent Creation>>>Joe Black1996>>>Death Metal

30-Neurosis>>>Given To The Rising2007>>>Sludge Metal

31-Bosques de Mi Mente>>>Lo-Fi2007>>>Piano/Contemporary Classic