‘Hollow’ (2020) was an impressive debut album for Israeli band Tomorrow’s Rain who had previously been around as Moonskin. Within the realms of atmospheric doom, they had strong song-craft but got quite a bit of attention due to a large array of special guests from the international scene. It’s interesting to note that one of these Aaaron Stainthorpe is also releasing his new album with My Dying Bride on the same day as ‘Ovdan’ so hopefully this won’t get lost in the crowd. It’s rather fortunate that we are even getting this album as tragedy almost befell vocalist Yishai Sweartz in 2023 when he suffered a severe heart attack and spent three weeks in hospital. Luckily he pulled through and the experience has obviously impacted on the new album in parts. For a start Ovdan means ‘Loss’ and when one gets to the closing track ‘Intensive Care’ with sounds of a major trauma unit, things obviously speak for themselves.
Again the sextet are joined by an impressive array of guests and looking at the names I thought it would be an easy task placing them in the grand scheme of things. Listening to the album a couple of times without looking up their parts, apart from a couple it was not actually quite so obvious. It’s a fairly sombre and circumspect album which is hardly a surprise and we enter with moody, saxophone etched song ‘Roads.’ Gently flowing we get both clean and harsh vocals joining in with the lead singer. Tony Wakeford (Sol Invictus / Death In June) is instantly recognisable and you can’t help thinking he adds a neo-folk slant on things. At the other end of the scale in the second half is Dark Funeral’s Heljamadr and moves from haunting lament to enragement. ‘Sunrise’ is a case the band going it alone and as I noted on last album they do so well and could easily dispense of guests if they chose to. Dark and poetic it is a dreamy languid affair with doom and progressive touches as the vocalist no doubt counts his blessing to see the light of day once more. Blessing can only turn to cursing when you have the next guest on hand and although the acoustic caress of ‘Muaka’ leads us towards the mountains the craggy snarls of none other than Atilla Csihar prove it is perhaps not such a hospitable domain. Apart from a band member there’s a fair bit of Paradise Lost about Room 124. At a guess I figure it was the number of the hospital room our singer spent time convalescing. It’s suitably both gloomy instrumentally and restless vocally. Personal favourite here is ‘I Skuggornas Grav’ which features clean verse from Unanimated vocalist Mickael Broberg and the gorgeous tones of Xmal Deutschland’s Anja Huwe. With just an accompanying bass line and piano it’s an absolutely beautiful song.
Considering the underlying themes and the personal nature of the album, there’s no denying it is a tough listen and it’s not one to go for if you are looking for a pick me up. It tends to be dour even when it is slightly more upbeat on Gothic chugger ‘Turn Around’ which gets two versions with everyone from Michael Denner of Mercyful Fate / King Diamond and Ben Christo of The Sisters Of Mercy joining in. Despite this, it is the work of a survivor and that’s a silver cloud we can at least hang on to.
(7.5/10 Pete Woods)
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