Doomed - 6 Anti-Odes To Life (CD) Digipak

There are few bands around in the slow paving music genre with a programmatic name. So with DOOMED, who are originated in Germany's far eastern province Saxony. They have released six full- length albums within six years on the respected Russian doom metal label Solitude Productions. Their newest effort is called "6 Anti-Odes To Life" serving six plus one lengthy tracks about representative topics that could lead to reject human existence and life at all.

"On '6 Anti-Odes To Life', DOOMED take you on a multi-faceted trip through the horrors of life combining old school doom and death metal with vast, progressively evolving soundscapes full of tons heavy guitar riffs and beautifully chanting leads. It's both a melancholic symphony and a sonic statement to defend life against the real existing adversities." – Doom Metal Front

"There are so many situations in life I despise", says DOOMED mastermind and multi-instrumentalist Pierre Laube, "like death, parting, ignorance, competition and greed, the ruination of Mother Earth, religion, uncertainty, sickness, threat, war – a never ending story. This is what I tell about in '6 Anti-Odes ...' but in the final seventh track – 'Layers - Ode to Life' –, which is proving in melancholic manner that I actually love living. I'm virtually absorbing life, embracing it – I want to stay! Finally, this instrumental song dissolves the album's overall mood. Feel invited to read my thoughts about it in the booklet!"

"6 Anti-Odes To Life" is way more melancholic and leaving the progressive death metallic paths entered on "Anna", DOOMED's acclaimed predecessor. Pierre returns to the essence of doom taking much time to evolve a massive wall of sound.

"Of course, there are nasty parts as well", Pierre adds. "It still matters to be uncomfortable, and to combine layer after layer, melodies and create connections. There's so much cinema in my head when creating music. The album is both a step back, stylistically, and forward when talking about new influences like pointed post-metal elements, vast soundscapes and loads of flow, which I dig a lot."

In 2018, DOOMED is far away from the standard death doom metal of their early days writing ambitious multifaceted and highly empathetic music that is channeling anger and frustration in pure sonic beauty. For the first time Pierre is singing the clean parts himself proving that his vocal skills are as impressive as the abyssal growls. Adding his brother Yves into the compositorial process, who is playing all main guitar leads on the album, DOOMED has become something like a real band leaving its strict one-man project character.

Guest musicians:
Willjiam Nijhof (vocals – Faal)
Andreas Kaufmann (vocals – Charon, Hatespawn, Purgatory)
Uwe Reinholz (acoustic guitar)

Review
Wonderbox Metal

Doomed is a one man death/doom metal band from Germany, and this is his sixth album.

I have to say I’m a huge fan of Doomed. Our Ruin Silhouettes, Wrath Monolith, and Anna are all stunning examples of how to write and play death/doom; in my experience it’s all too easy for death/doom bands to fall back on the staples of the style and take the easy route when it comes to their music. The artist behind Doomed, however, has a knack for producing music that takes all of the strengths of the style, while avoiding all of its lazy weaknesses, resulting in music that truly adds things that you just don’t really hear other bands do.

Of course, I’m not talking here about any wild innovations, (this is death/doom after all, a relatively stable genre), rather, it’s simply having the skill and talent to write atypical riffs, melodies, and structuring while still managing to adhere to the central rules of the genre, (lengthy, substantial, melodically-rich and deeply despondent songs that mix mountainous doom with deep growls and moments of deathly aggression).

On this latest album these songwriting talents are once again apparent, albeit channelled in slightly different ways to previously. The core of the Doomed sound is still intact, it’s just that on 6 Anti-Odes to Life the overall theme and feel of the album is slower, darker, and probably more nuanced than ever before.

These new songs contain a greater emphasis on light, dark, and the shading in between. This has always been part of Doomed, obviously, but the textured doom side of the equation is highlighted further on this release, as are the music’s progressive tendencies. These elements are also added to by several guests that appear on the album, both additional vocalists and musicians. Out of these the singer of Faal should be noted.

As well as containing Doomed’s most doom-ridden music to date, it’s also probably the most consistently diverse, with progressive and post-metal elements enhancing the core doom metal that lies at the heart of the music.

Vocally, deep deathgrowls are the main vocals used, of course, but slithering screams and, for the first time I believe, the artist’s own strong cleans also make appearances. It’s all rather wonderful.

Epic, monumental, full of dark melancholy, and rich with emotive content, 6 Anti-Odes to Life is a sterling piece of work.

Review
The Median Man
15.06.2018

The Doors starts things off, with a heavy rattling riff, a pounding snarling vocal and a slow menacing rhythm. Aura begins with an acoustic intro that fits well within the overall tempo and theme of the song, a snarling and epic vocal line is mixed with the distorted heaviness of the guitars. Touched snarls and dances across the board. Our Gifts is melodic, dark and brooding.

Reason begins with the Gregorian Chant before moving into slower, heaviness, grit and destruction. Insignificant is clean, minor and erratic. Layers shifts, turns and starts, bringing the album to a fitting close.

Author: medianman19