Psychedelic doom metal on Neurot, what could possibly go wrong? After a debut album and a split with Fister, Chrch was signed by the famous label and now unleashes “Light Will Consume Us All” upon the world. With only three tracks and a total playing time of 45 minutes, we know that we’re up to something heavy here, but is it also enjoyable?

Unfortunately, the first 15 minutes are not. Chrch takes way too long in the build-up of “Infinite Return”, which provides a rather boring experience. Once the outburst finally comes, it’s simply underwhelming with poorly executed screams and I didn’t think this album could still be saved. However, the last 5 minutes of the song show the band’s true potential, which is carried through in “Portals”. Here we can hear slow-paced psychedelic doom with low-ranged female vocals and this is where Chrch seems to be more at ease. “Aether” starts promising in a similar atmosphere, until an unnecessary black metal outburst totally ruins the second part of the song. It’s alright to be versatile, but something of a build-up would make the flow of the song significantly better.

So, while I do hear potential in Church’s massive sound and there are quite some good parts, “Light Will Consume Us All” is leaving much to be desired. Chrch would do well to focus on its strong points and do what it does best.

(6/10 Lykle Thijssen)

https://www.facebook.com/chrchdoomca

https://churchdoom.bandcamp.com/album/light-will-consume-us-all