Material Sanctuary

The visual of some futuristic excavation revealing a corpse-like remnant of the Statue of Liberty is a forbidding one, but also a pretty accurate depiction of the state of metal outside of Northern Europe in the mid-1990s. Then again, the ascendant cynicism of the day proved to be fertile ground for a new generation of fatalistic trustees of the art form originally pioneered by Black Sabbath in their formative days to rise to the occasion. On the traditional side of the coin, the exploits of Count Raven and a number of stoner acts were a force to be reckoned with, but what is often missed is the noteworthy strides the epic variant pioneered by the then defunct Candlemass would make thanks to a number of spin-off acts like Abstrakt Algebra and American affiliates Solitude Aeturnus. In this time of what one might call the underground resistance, one curious wildcard was the Swedish outfit Veni Domine, a Christian-themed epic doom outfit with what may well have been the most unique take on things to have been seen at the time.

It is exceedingly difficult to do justice to the highly unique stylistic niche that this Stockholm-based quintet exhibited during the metallic nadir of 1994, but perhaps the best way to describe it is as what Queensryche would have sounded like had they adopted Candlemass' doom aesthetic following the release of The Warning and then honed in the late 80s with some early Dream Theater influences. The resulting mega-opus that is Material Sanctuary presents over an hour of gloomy, melodically charged yet commercially unfeasible brilliance that surely confounded the majority of listeners in the metal world and beyond who were in earshot of it. Spearheaded by arguably the most convincing Geoff Tate imitator outside of the continental U.S. in Fredrik Ohlsson, who also manages to share in guitar duties on here, every chapter in this massive musical novel is a towering epic that cycles through a massive array of contrasting themes while maintaining a gravely slow pace. Comparisons could perhaps be made to another Christian imitator of Seattle's original metal export Sacred Warrior, but they prove peripheral when the entirety of this grand, depressing sonic tapestry is under consideration.

Despite being unveiled at a time when metal was either modernizing or contemplating the limits of extremity, this album is essentially an unsung classic stuck out of time, sporting a production that can be best summed up as a throwback to the latter days of the previous decade. It exemplifies that dank, murky sense of heaviness and despair that typified the early days of Candlemass circa Nightfall, but also possesses a spacey, keyboard-rich atmosphere that shows occasionally flashes of Kevin Moore alongside a gloss of church-inspired aesthetics and late 80s USPM trappings. The technical factor of each individual musician doesn't quite reach the same level of fanciness as Petrucci, Moore and Myung trifecta, but the lead guitar, bass and keyboard work definitely goes well beyond the bounds of a traditional heavy or power metal assault, while the steady, forbidding march of Thomas Weinesjö's drum work provides a solid and consistent foundation upon which the bizarre monuments of sorrowful melodies and dreary lyrics flow.

Isolating a few highlight moments on this album is a monumental task, given both the sheer score of each song under consideration, as well as a tenacious commitment to excellence from one second to the next. Nevertheless, it's hard not to be taken aback by the discordant church organ theme that kicks off opening crusher "The Meeting", like a doubly horrific take on the main theme of The Exorcist that is chased by a series of pounding riffs, church choirs and neurotic vocalizations of a sorrow-stricken man crying out for salvation. Other moments of heightened intrigue include the mostly punchy yet also fairly noodling doom/prog monster of a title song "Material Sanctuary", which also manages to possess the most infectious chorus hook of the bunch; alongside colossal odes to biblical strife like "Ecclesiastes" and "Beyond The Doom", each showcasing the sheer limits to which the doom style can be stretched in terms of stylistic variety, playing heavily off the talents of keyboardist Mats Lidbrandt, who is credited in a guest capacity on this album but served as a full member for several years afterward. Even the short instrumental epilogue "Baroque Moderne" ends up blazing some trails and all but predicts a sort of classical/folksy acoustic trend that would be picked up by a number of Gothic metal bands in subsequent years, particularly Tristania.

Though perhaps an ideological challenge for many metal heads given the lyrical content, this is the most compelling epic doom album to every come out of the mid-1990s, and the fact that it has remained in obscurity is a crime against all that is forlorn. Besides, this is a sub-genre that has always been a bit more nuanced in terms of messaging, apart from the obvious emotional aesthetic being sought. The average progressive metal trustee, particularly those who think the style wasn't really established until Dream Theater's Images And Words, will likely find this a strange beast, to speak nothing for how anyone running in USPM circles and particularly old school Queensryche fans would be confounded by what's going on around the vocals. Yet ironically enough, this is an album that is ultimately as much for those groups as it is for the target audience that originally raised a solitary candle to the woeful howls of Messiah Marcolin and found a worthy acolyte in Robert Lowe's Dio-like growls. The best albums are those that challenge one's sensibilities while also being conducive to their expectations, and as far as 1994 goes, very few could have challenged existing conventions to the extent that this did while also maintaining a needed sense of familiarity. Let the mass commence so that fallen man may see his sorrow crowned in glory.

Emerging from Sweden Veni Domine came up and considering the country they are from you can expect really good music and indeed this release is just outstanding.

This is their second release and for me it is even better than Fall Babylon Fall. For those of you who don’t know the band they are pretty much like the Christian version of Candlemass. Fredrik Ohlsson’s vocals are very similar to Geoff Tate’s and Bruce Dickinson. He can sustain high octaves very long and is an excellent singer. The music is very slow yet really powerful, orchestrated and epic. Their themes cover a lot of issues about the spiritual life in a very philosophical and deep way.

Now the music: every single song is long, clocking at an average of 7-8 min. They are epic, have monumental orchestrations, and are very slow; only one track is actually fast and you get walls of chorus gallantly performed. Now, when you are performing slow music you have to make sure you have enough ideas to fill out a long song and somehow they succeed in keeping the interest listening to the album with calm passages, good solos, and a special mood for every song. There is also an instrumental at the end ‘Baroque Moderne’ which is basically a flute solo to perfectly close the album.

I have my doubts about the power of the cover, despite the strong concept the colors and the art itself is not that cool as Fall Babylon Fall but anyhow the elegance of the booklet counts and most important, if you like Heavy Doom bands like Solitude Aeternus and Candlemass without fast tracks then this one is for you. I find this album enchanting as it manages to involve me in an atmosphere of epic proportions and thoughts which are all but pleasant that only good Doom bands know how to do.