Epic doom metal
Latest: The Stygian Rose (2024)
The Ruins of Fading Light (2019)
And continuing on the theme of the Oh Sees, Crypt Sermon are another band that I was tipped to by my friends here in town. Contrary to what I stated about the Oh Sees, Crypt Sermon are the type of group I would still seek out. I've just noticed that RYM has added a new genre, one they call Epic Doom Metal, named naturally enough after Candlemass. I agree with this designation, as I've always felt that Candlemass and their ilk were closer tied to the Manilla Road and Cirith Ungol's of this world than those that strictly adhere to the formulaic slow paced metal doctrine.
The Ruins of Fading Light is the second release from Crypt Sermon and is a natural follow-up to the debut. I've recently written about Out of the Garden, and here are some thoughts from that release: "When I first saw the LP, I asked the record store owner what kind of music it was, and that cinched it for me. It reminded me of first discovering Manilla Road's Crystal Logic in 1983 - no way a cover like that would house anything but an interesting record. And I was rewarded with a fine album in the doom metal space. I'm not too keen on the funereal side of the genre and prefer some crunchy mid paced riffing, and that's precisely what Out of the Garden provides. Vocals are more matter-of-fact than the operatic Candlemass style, but otherwise the comparison holds true." How about that? If this is a genre that interests you, then Philadelphia's Crypt Sermon is an easy recommendation.
---7/28/21
Out of the Garden (2015)
Sometime in 1989, while standing in line at the grocery store, my eyes fixated on a new novel called Foucault's Pendulum by the Italian author Umberto Eco, who I was unfamiliar with even though he already had a best seller with Name of the Rose. I've never been a book-of-the-week kind of guy, but the premise was highly intriguing. And it introduced me to the world of Medieval secret orders, namely The Knights Templar, a topic I continue to be fascinated by. I find it humorous that I was introduced to such a weighty topic in the Tom Thumb grocery store line. Right next to The National Enquirer and packs of gum.
Not long prior to this discovery, I had also been introduced to a new metal band from Sweden called Candlemass. They played in a style called "doom metal", and it seemed to be a direct response to the era's preferred fast approach including speed metal and thrash. Calling upon classic Black Sabbath, but with a modern sense of heaviness and lyrical content, Candlemass blew the dust off of the 70s in a most exciting way.
Crypt Sermon is the combination of those two late 80s personal discoveries. When I first saw the LP, I asked the record store owner what kind of music it was, and that cinched it for me. It reminded me of first discovering Manilla Road's Crystal Logic in 1983 - no way a cover like that would house anything but an interesting record. And I was rewarded with a fine album in the doom metal space. I'm not too keen on the funereal side of the genre and prefer some crunchy mid paced riffing, and that's precisely what Out of the Garden provides. Vocals are more matter-of-fact than the operatic Candlemass style, but otherwise the comparison holds true. If any of what I said above resonates, you'll want to grab this one.
---11/17/20
6/1/24 (new entry)
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