A new band, a new name. I ran into them live a short while back at Warhorns Late Winter Camp which was very enjoyable so I snapped at this when it came in. It is effectively their entire set too; three songs coming it at just under half an hour.

Doom/death is the order of the day and ‘Catafalque’ opens in classic style; a slow heavy riff gathering pace, a few keyboards in the background and then a pause for the quiet melodic interlude. Then the riff and the vocals descend. Ponderous riff, harsh but charismatic vocals, keyboards and thumping drums. Immediately again I am thinking early Paradise Lost – perhaps something about the vocals, perhaps the keyboards and the turn of the melody. Whatever this, on record, just oozes class. It has a great presence, a quality of musicianship and an identity of its own.

‘Beneath The Waves’ has a wonderful, yearning opening melody, a turbulence to the song that is a little akin to something Ahab might conjure up. The vocals from Ross King (of Countless Skies) weave an austere air, the drumming (actually Nathan Robshaw also of Countless skies) power up the storm the guitars from James McGrenery and Adam Taylor play off each other then reform like breaking waves with the deep currents held by the bass of Simon Marston. When it rolls faster the death metal touch is heightened but their inherent sense of melody never leaves entirely. It is just a superb slice of real doom/death.

‘Deathless’ closes out the EP. Its only here I realise that yes, you can hear all the lyrics and have been able to all along! The enunciation with the death vocal style is great. This song has a lonely, rich sway to the guitars and the keyboards are use perfectly, rising like great drapes along some dusty, forgotten hallway, shutting out the world and leaving the ghost within to endlessly stalk the halls. It is truly magnificent.

I know these are seasoned musicians: two each from countless Skies and Everest Queen, one from Dreadbeggar/Elysian Divide/The Graven Sign but that shouldn’t detract from the fact that for a first EP this is class through and through. There is that touch, that feel for the music you yearn to hear and they deliver in spades.

Paradise Lost, Ahab, My Dying Bride: Fans of those should love this while finding something all of Denali’s own within this gloomy, doomed half hour.

Lovely.

(8/10 Gizmo)

https://www.facebook.com/denalidoommetal

https://denalidoom.bandcamp.com