Giving Yourself Away

The latest release from Rotterdams’ sons of Doom is nothing short of astounding! This is the album we should have heard after their first release ‘Ne Vivam’. Like their first release this is one consistent album that from start to finish is extremely competent and well crafted.

That being said, one shouldn’t turn away from the bands ‘mid-period’ releases ‘The Pathway’ & ‘Reason’, but they’re so pedestrian when compared to this cd. On these albums only the first two or three songs are good, the rest sounds like filler. On this release however it’s apparent that they took their time as all the songs are good.

Starting off, the production is crisp and couldn’t have been better; this is by far the best they’ve had. The guitars are a little more melodic than on their prior releases but they’re still incredibly heavy. There is more keyboard on this release and it’s used more prominently in the songs instead of just for intros, etc…

The bass more or less follows the drums which are outstanding to say the least; however they follow to closely what has been done in the past. They could have been more creative (how many triplets can you fit into one song?!)

The vocals are another standout on this release because they showcase Pims’ versatility as a singer. They go from his rather original and distinct Death growls to a well done clean singing voice that perhaps shares almost as much time on this record as the grim vocals.

This album perhaps has a few minor gothic touches in regards to the keyboards, but this is still Doomdeath and it’s the best album they’ve ever done. This is the type of release that makes you forget the band has a prior catalog.