Tears and Blood

Like many bands belonging in one way or another to the doom-death genre, Russian outfit S.C.A.L.P. have long struggled to find even the slightest bit of commercial acceptance. Technically released in 2004, “Tears and Blood” was actually recorded about five years earlier. Lineup shifts and label problems forced its shelving while the band essentially put things on hold for a while. Original vocalist/bassist Evgeny Rizhenok, who performed on this album, did not even live to see its eventual release.

I’ve not heard previous works by the band, but for this disc the general sound comes across much like a mix of early Anathema and mid-era Paradise Lost, wrapped in an extremely heavy doom-laden sound not averse to picking up the tempo every now and then. Rizhenok’s vocal approach varies from sorrowful clean lamentations like seen on an Anathema release (once they started incorporating clean vocals, of course) to an angrier-sounding Nick Holmes style, to even a vicious shout that approaches a growl at times. Unlike a lot of doom-death records there aren’t any of the ultra-low guttural vocals to be found, so I suppose gothic doom is more apropos as a description.

Likewise, the music tends to showcase sounds not native to any one genre. Opener “A Heart Was Beating” takes the dichotomy approach whereby the song is first run through in a harsh and angry manner. About two minutes in it basically starts over, with the second time being a much more somber take with mellow vocals, clean-picked guitars, and some keyboard parts. “Broken Pines” is almost too upbeat to even be called doom metal at all, possessing a strangely soothing double bass ride underlying the chorus. This song also is home to some uncharacteristically “chugging” guitar work with a doomed-out palm-muted riffing style, maybe like an ultra-sludgy Iced Earth.

The last two songs are remastered versions from the last disc, and perhaps stick closest to the standard doom format – long, drawn-out songs that seem to build on a common melodic theme the entire time, always favoring a rather lurching tempo. I prefer the first batch of songs, but that’s just me. Production-wise things are in fine form, with the first six songs especially having an oppressively crushing sound that’ll give a good workout to any set of speakers. The last two songs sound a little thinner, but hardly enough to matter. The drums do at times sound almost artificial, but unless Alexey Kuznetsov is actually the name of a drum machine that’s no fault of his.

Negatives? The three instrumental tracks add little to the disc individually, though they do quite well in reinforcing the “calm after the storm” idea prevalent on the disc. “Removal” comes across as slightly boring when compared to “Who Dared to Say?”, the other remastered old song. Otherwise it’s mainly a stylistic thing, the band playing a form of music that will never have a very large audience. Listeners without a taste for the doomier style of metal will be bored within minutes, while fans of the strict, glacially paced doom-death who trumpet, say, Thergothon as one of the all-time masters may be slightly put off by the more rousing portions of the disc. My recommendation is to try it anyway, especially if you’re a doom fan. Well done, if not entirely original.