2020 has been a bit of a pain in the arse really, hasn’t it? I mean, everyone has had their plans dashed this year, and Cork, Ireland’s The Grief are no exception. They originally hoped to have these two EP’s following each other in quick succession, but of course the monumental issue that is Coronavirus-19 has meant some delays in the Descent EP coming out. If you weren’t aware, The Grief are a band formed by members of a number of other Irish bands, including John Murphy (For Ruin), Paul and Stephen Quinn (Corr Mhona, Procession of Spectres), Con Doyle (Soothsayer) and Kieran O’Leary.
Perhaps tellingly, some of the band members have played together in a Katatonia tribute band, while others have been in a Paradise Lost tribute band. This explains the very strong gloomy feel, that nestles really somewhere between the two, melancholic guitars and clean vocals leaning towards the latter output of both of those legendary outfits. “The Ascent” EP has four tracks of fantastic moody bleakness, really built on some atmospheric six string work that produces some moments of pure despair, as with the closer “Departed”, which even manages to work in some Primordial influences in the vocals. Not quite doom/death here, more downcast modern metal, it is still quite an accomplishment that this EP can sit quite proudly alongside any of the latter output of the more established bands that have clearly influenced the band.
“Descent” is the more recent release, and starts on a much heavier footing, with “Scourge” coming off like Candlemass riffing with a hangover, complete with tolling bell. If “Ascent” was heavily influenced by latter period Paradise Lost and Katatonia, then “Descent” really shows more of that early doom / death influence. “Sunder” could quite easily have been a track from “Gothic”, complete with harsh, growled vocals and intense atmospherics. “The Ascent” has some nifty drum work and dizzying guitars, with a plaintive vocal line threading through it. “Den of Thieves” has such an excellent guitar tone and evocative melody that I have been humming it for weeks, since I got this album. It’s here that the vocals are at their most Nick Holmes – this really could have been a track from the latter half of “Draconian Times”. “To Hew in Wrath”, the EP closer, is really another hidden “Gothic” era doom/death stormer, with some really neat obscure sections that bring to mind a mind-bending melding of Runemagick and Bathory.
Both EP were mastered by the legendary Dan Swano, and really you’d be hard pressed to know that these are independent releases – they sound so bloody good. I won’t be able to place these on our best of the year lists this year, as we only place full length albums on there, but I would encourage anyone with a penchant for the gloomy to give these EP’s a listen. Great stuff.
(8.5/10 Chris Davison)
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