Perhaps you’ve got too much to be cheery about? You know, the economy in freefall, the planet on fire, our government being steered by a succession of people seemingly completely incapable of not acting in venal self-interest. Maybe, just maybe, the sunshine and good vibes have made you proper cheery; perhaps you’re the CEO of an energy company and all the money being printed is putting a massive grin on your mush.
Well, fear not, because Durham based misery merchants Enshroudment have the perfect aural prescription for you in this three-track fun-slide into depression, “As the Light is Extinguished”. Do YOU like ultra-leaden snails-pace doom? Do YOU like vocals that sound like someone being dragged across broken glass in a cave? Do YOU want the metal equivalent of being forced to spend a fortnight in Walsall? Well, you’re in luck! This EP is going to be your absolute joy: and by joy, I of course mean utter, utter despair.
It’s fair to say that Enshroudment are not a cheery bunch. The title track is the kind of tortured death doom that would make My Dying Bride sound like the Cheeky Girls. It’s a miserable slog, but with catchy riffs, tortured vocals and a monstrous bottom end. There’s some pretty nifty guitar work here and there – a bit like having a really talented guitarist placed on industrial level tranquilisers. “Choirs of the Forlorn” takes the general blue print of the first track, but then takes the sorrow-dial and places it on an 11. There’s a really great melody hidden in the intro, but it soon gives way to the kind of gravel-scrape pace that very early Cathedral mustered. “A Windswept Demise” is the party anthem of the three, building on a sturdy foundation of Russ Abbott’s “I Love a Party”…no, not really. It’s fucking miserable. The track crawls across the floor, pain and regret seeping from every drum beat. It’s wonderful.
Long story short, if you really dig the ultra-misery of early 90’s doom death bands, then this is pretty much an essential purchase. I really found myself hoping that the band go onto record a full album, because there are some really great flourishes here, and while at one time roughly 15% of the population of Lithuania was recording death doom albums (c.f. Solitude Records back catalogue), this would quite easily be among the best EPs of the genre. It’s that good.
(8.5/10 Chris Davison)
Leave a Reply