As the name suggests
Doomshine offer up some Doom style metal for us to dig on.
Opening track
"Where Nothing Hurts but Solitude" is the bait that sets the trap. A trap you won't mind getting caught in!
Vocalist/Guitarist Tim Holz is on par with Tom Phillips of
While Heaven Wept fame in his ability to sing, play axe and write killer tunes. His vocals are a clean baritone. Reminds me a bit of Helstar vocally but without the high pitch stuff they did.
The album sounds real full and all instruments are heard clearly so there's no bad production distracting from the album.
The songs range from grudgingly slow to mid-paced. Most fit somewhere between the two. You get some really nice guitar solo work from these guys too.
With the compliments I have to give some criticism as well. Constructive criticism though!
There could be a little more variety in the guitar parts. With the exception of 2 or 3 songs most of the guitar is just chords with vocals on top. Makes me think Tim's ability to sing over riffs is limited. There is also little variety in the vocal melodies and I swear he sings the same melodies in more than one song. My other qualm is with the drummer. The drums are minimal and lack variety. As a drummer myself I can hear places where some killer fills would give the tunes a much needed kick. I mean these guys are close, real close, to making a standout Doom record and this album is far above most Doom stuff out now. Just need to add some more dynamics in the songs and more of the catchy riffs heard in tracks 1, 5, 6, 7 and 8. Like I said they are close!
Because of the Doom genre having slower tempos it's a hard task to keep the songs interesting and so good hooks, in the vocal melodies and guitar riffs dept, are a must. Good drum rhythms and interesting, varied fills are key to making it that much more enjoyable as well. Doom kings
Candlemass and
While Heaven Wept and the stellar Krux are good examples of what Doom can be!
5 outta the 9 songs presented here are absolute killers and achieve that status the aforementioned bands have achieved. I think shorter songs would help them as well and that's all I can say in the needed improvement critique. I will say it again.....they are close!
An impressive release and I can only see
Doomshine make it's way to the top of the small but viable Doom Metal pile of killer bands! Well done gentlemen!
Hear, see and learn at
www.massacre-records.comWritten by
David Sunday, July 11, 2004
Show all reviews by DavidRatingsDavid: 6.5/10Members: No members have rated this album yet.
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