Mental Torment - On The Verge... (CD)

doom death, Solitude Productions, Solitude Productions
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Первый альбом украинской группы, имеющей за своими плечами большой опыт живых выступлений, делающий дебют не просто заявлением музыкантов о себе, а настоящим манифестом, наглядно демонстрирующего крепкий, профессиональный, филигранно отточенный doom death metal. В этом альбоме есть всё, что способно пленить слух искушённого слушателя: величественные гитарные партии в лёгком обрамлении клавишных, богатая атмосфера, пропитанная концепцией грозной морской стихии. Главной ценностью альбома является его неисчерпаемая мелодичность и вдохновенность. «On The Verge…» станет настоящим подарком для любителей жанра и таких групп, как Officium Triste, Mourning Beloveth и ранние Saturnus.

Треклист:
1 The Path To Shining (Intro) 2:10
2 Maelstrom 7:07
3 My Torment 8:23
4 Unspoken Word 7:11
5 Cold Rusted Flame 7:58
6 I See This End 7:15
7 Tradegy 6:42
8 The Drowned Man 5:26

Артист:
Mental Torment
Страна артиста:
Ukraine
Год альбома:
2013
Название:
On The Verge...
Стиль:
doom death
Формат:
Compact Disk
Тип:
CD
Упаковка:
Jewel Case
Лейбл:
Solitude Productions
Кат. номер:
SP. 070-13
Год издания:
2013
Штрих-код:
4 627080 610187
Страна-производитель:
Russia
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Review
Ave Noctum
8.5/10
28.05.2013

Ukrainian newcomers Mental Torment are right at home on Solitude. As the cover would suggest, ‘On The Verge…’ is murky, despondent doom-death in the funereal vein, full of giant, crashing riffs and plunging dirges. The theme of the album is the sea, and whilst paeans to the uncaring oceans might seem like a bit of an overdone cliché in funeral doom circles, it’s done incredibly well here.

There’s a dizzying momentum at work, the guitars moving in towering swells and monotonous, churning rhythms, with muted, bleak melodies peeking out through the gloom. The riffs have serious weight to them, reminding of Abstract Spirit’s ‘Horror Vacui’ in their abyssal vastness and drawn-out, punishing monotony, backlit by just a faint glow of synth. It sounds overwhelmingly tidal; like being battered endlessly by the indifferent elements in near-total darkness.

It’s never dull though, on account of a gradual, searching progression that recalls Ahab’s leaden-yet-surging debut; full of tortured slow-builds to sudden, slow-chugging bursts of renewed urgency, and with forlorn-and-winding melodic leads stretching out to the distant horizon. Mental Torment have a masterful sense of restraint, lulling the listener into a hypnotic daze with seemingly circular dirges and clean passages, before hitting out with massive, mournful riffs that just keep on coming, hammering on the emotions relentlessly until only splintered wreckage remains. I can’t help but name check Mourning Beloveth at this point, on account of how the riffs are allowed space to slowly breathe through calmer lulls, gathering in strength and slowly growing higher until everything finally crashes back in on itself.

There are also hints of My Dying Bride’s classic ‘Turn Loose The Swans’ in the sharp guitar-wails, clanging, monolithic riffs and climbing, muted melodies absolutely dripping with despondency. Present too are more grandiose doom riffs reminiscent of MDB’s later work, or perhaps that of Saturnus, dragging themselves out slowly with an imperious gloominess. There are brooding, clean passages, sprinklings of sombre spoken word amidst the guttural growls; hopeful melodic solos tinged with warmth; urgent underpinnings of double-bass pedal ratcheting up the tension.

I haven’t identified any specific songs as it all just flows so well together, weaving a rich tapestry that runs for a full 52 minutes without ever growing stale. The overall composition is excellent, with the band members (all seven of them) seeming to be on exactly the same page, bringing a tremendous sense of cohesion and depth. But again- it’s the superb progression that really makes the album. ‘On The Verge…’ has an effortless fluidity about it that is worthy of the album’s concept, and it really knows how to bide its time, slowly and masterfully dredging up some raw and powerful emotions from beneath the expanse of endless grey.

Author: Erich Zann
Solitude Productions 30.05.2013, 01:30
Review
Darkview
7/10
20.05.2013

Beroepshalve vertoef ik regelmatig in Oekraine en kan er met eigen ogen vaststellen hoe snel dat voormalige Oostblokland aan het verwestersen is. Getuige daarvan is de explosie van metalbands die daar momenteel plaatsvindt – noem maar namen als Drudkh, Nokturnal Mortum, Paganland of Stoned Jesus.

Mental Torment hoort intussen ook in dat rijtje thuis als doom-deathcollectief dat zwaarmoedige, melancholische muziek brouwt in de traditie van de jaren '90. Hun warme, gepolijste sound en grofkorrelige, diepe grunt doet veelvuldig aan Saturnus en Officium Triste denken. Op zich niks mis mee, want het logge 'On The Verge' mag er best wezen, maar toch ontbreekt er een verrassingselement want deze band speelt zodanig volgens het geijkte boekje, dat je bijna van een gelikte copycat kunt spreken. En toch, de beresterke, memorabele melodieën die de band uit zijn mouw schudt, laten het beste vermoeden voor de toekomst. Zeker eens beluisteren als je kickt op melodieuze, donkerromantische doom.

Author: Luckifer Deville
Solitude Productions 26.05.2013, 01:55
Review
Metalstorm
7.4/10
22.05.2013

Doom, like all music, can be an odd thing. The gradations between good and, well, not so good can either be just minute shades of grey or clear as day.

Take Ukrainian death doomsters Mental Torment. Aside from the fact their album cover isn't likely to medal if MS runs a sequel to our "Best Album Art" contest, their first album, On The Verge doesn't do anything that stands out as particularly innovative or new.

In their PR bit Solitude Productions implies this release would be a "precious present for fans of Officium Triste."

Not sure about the gift aspect, but if searching for a starting point to describe their sound, OT is as good as any.

On The Verge contains a lot of what I found in Officium Triste's latest… doom roaring, melodic-yet-melancholic leads, lots of woe and general sadness going around. There are no "This one time, at doombandcamp, Evoke Thy Lords stuck a flute in their... mix" moments.

At this point it seems like I'm on the verge of slamming the band, but go back to that first sentence again. The difference between being a boring, dull copycat and releasing a good album is just shades of charcoal grey.

The sound in this, like OT's latest, is (well, weak drums aside) really lush and deep, a perfect way to capture mood laid out in the music. The songs are crafted well, seemingly riding the line between slow development to the point of boredom and slow enough moving to be compelling, somehow maintaining just to the side of "I'm enjoying them."

All in all I found the album to be a pleasant surprise and an enjoyable listen. Perhaps adding a few twists and turns to their well-executed tunes Mental Torment might be On The Verge of something great on their sophomore follow-up. But I'm certainly enjoying this for now.

Author: BitterCOld
Solitude Productions 23.05.2013, 23:24
Review
Brutalism
3/5
17.05.2013

Death Doom. A combination of Death Metal and Doom Metal. Bandʼs like Mental Torment combine the two genres of metal to create slow atmospheric heavily distorted crushing music. The music is like an enormous wall crashing down on a society very slowly. Mental Torment really knows how to stretch out their songs too because most of their songs are around seven minutes. These Ukrainianʼs do leave a strong impression with their debut album “On the Verge”. However, that impression may take some time as the album is no short and simple release. Exaggerated guitar riffs are a main theme on each track. The band messes around with different tempos, so the drumming creates these unique Doom Metal rhythms that seem to morph overtime compared to the other instruments. Another tool Mental Torment uses to create long universal wide sounding atmospheric songs is by coming up with mellow keyboard and piano parts. With the keyboards I like how they are used do create dark transient atmospheres which give the songs a mesmerizing edge.

The album starts out with a pleasantly sounding introduction called, The Path to Shining. Notes are lightly exaggerated by the guitarist to give the introduction a soothing effect that leads into the next song Maelstrom. Once Maelstrom begins the drums come in pounding like monstrous waves against a drone guitar riff filled sea. Then the vocalist starts growling out the haunting lyrics. To me this song is the epitome of atmospheric Doom Death Metal. All the elements are tied together to making a gloomy piece of music. On the next track appropriately called, My Torment, I can hear Mental Torment staying true to the Death Doom sound on Maelstrom. These guys are extremely consistent with their slow heavy crushing musical theme. I wish there was more variation on this album, but Mental Torment primarily focuses on slow Doom with a Death edge. The last track Tragedy is probably the one song which deviates from the other songs. On Tragedy Mental Torment finishes the album off with a cosmic sounding keyboard layered track.

Overall I liked how the album sounded and thought that Mental Torment did a great job presenting their style of Death Doom. Unfortunately after hearing a couple lengthy tracks off this album I was starting to loose interest. In no way am I saying their musicianship and talent caused me to loose interest, but with Death Doom Metal I feel bands need to experiment with their sound to keep listeners fully engaged. “On the Verge” is a decent first display of Mental Tormentʼs talents and may they keep working hard to improve their Death Doom sound. I highly recommend this album for those who love the combination of Death Metal and Doom Metal.

Author: Robby Stevens
Solitude Productions 19.05.2013, 02:28
Review
Funeral Wedding
5/5

Pensa numa banda que toca um Death/Doom nos moldes do Mourning Beloveth, mas com a veia melódica do Officium Triste. Esta banda chama-se Mental Torment.

Apesar de não apresentarem nada de inovador, podemos sentir através de suas linhas de guitarra uma sinceridade ímpar.

O disco abre com uma pequena intro “The Path To Shining” que serve de aperitivo para o que o disco nos reserva.

“Maelstrom” é a primeira faixa e observando a capa, encontramos um náufrago e os vocais “desesperados” de Mad acabam que nos levando para ela e acabamos nos sentindo como se nós estivéssemos à deriva.

“My Torment” é a maior faixa do disco e dentro de seus 8 minutos temos um andamento carregado de tristeza, ainda mais se o ouvinte se deixar levar pelas linhas de guitarras de Miha Esp e Ross.

“Unspoken Word” tem uma pegada bem Mourning Beloveth, com fortes riffs de guitarra, peso e melodia na dose certa. Destaque para a atmosfera que ela cria lá pela metade dela.

“Cold Rusted Flame” é uma música com uma velocidade um pouco maior do que o restante encontrado no álbum. Mas não esperem que ela termine com algum blast beat, pois tão logo ela embala, há uma quebrada em seu andamento deixando novamente lenta. Vale destacar uma passagem com as guitarras limpas e os vocais mezzo guturais de Mad que vai guiando a faixa. Essa música carrega consigo um certo grau de melancolia, deixando-a como uma das melhores músicas do disco.

“I see this End” é uma faixa bem “down-tempo” e até um pouco atmosférica, seguindo numa linha My Dying Bride da fase do grandioso The Angel and the Dark River, só que sem os violinos.

“The Tragedy” vem no mesmo feeling do início do álbum, ou seja, muita melodia e tristeza. E a última faixa “The Drowned Man” é toda instrumental, selando de forma melancólica o fim do náufrago.
Solitude Productions 17.05.2013, 14:49
Review
Metal Temple
7/10
25.04.2013

So here we have the debut album from the Ukrainian Doom / Death band MENTAL TORMENT. This is going to be quite straightforward: if the hair at the back of your neck stands straight with the typical MY DYING BRIDE atmosphere but you also wants that SATURNUS-esque melody and all that with a hint of MOURNING BELOVETH thrown in the mix, well then… you will also appreciate “On The Verge”.

The intro of the album, “The Path To Shining”, sets the mood quite nicely here and from the beginning of “Maelstrom” you can feel the waves of influence coming from SATURNUS. The album in general is quite melodic, the work on the lead parts is done really nicely and with great care, the growling vocals (with the occasional use of a few clean ones) and the slow tempo which at points can get almost Funeral-Doom-slow for instance about three minutes in “My Torment” are working together splendidly.

There is definitely heart and technicality put into the songs in this album and genuine appreciation for the subgenre of Doom / Death in general, with tracks such as “Unspoken Word” with the great groove on the drums and the amazing leads on the guitar (especially on the part with the clean vocals), and especially the highlight of the album for me “Cold Rusted Flame” (even though the title still makes no sense to me) with the heavy distorted guitars setting a pace with the drums and the keyboards lifting the track just as much as it is needed without them being distracting, the cleaner part about a couple of minutes in the track with the spookier vocals acts like a really well designed break, it does occurs in some other instances giving some variety to the album.

I usually prefer my Doom / Death a bit dirtier and meaner but if you prefer the more melodic side of Doom / Death, and some of your favorite bands are SATURNUS, MOURNING BELOVETH and OFFICIUM TRISTE then MENTAL TORMENT should be your next logical step. “On The Verge” is a strong first release; let’s see where they take it from here.

Author: Spyros Stasis
Solitude Productions 27.04.2013, 01:33
Review
Kaosguards

Premier album pour cette formation ukrainienne qui, de prime abord, ne semble pas respirer la joie de vivre.

Passons outre l'illustration un peu cheap pour nous concentrer sur la musique. La longue et belle introduction, « The Path To Shining », installe d'entrée de jeu une fort classique mais réussie atmosphère dépressive et belle : notes de guitare étirées, claviers, piano. Cette introduction se fond avec celle très douce du premier titre, « Maelstrom », qui se mue assez vite en mastodonte métallique avec riffs énormes, section rythmique pesant lourd sur un tempo lent. Et bien évidemment une voix d'outre tombe, bien gutturale, quoique relativement articulée. Vous l'aurez compris, MENTAL TORMENT évolue dans un pur classicisme Doom Death, tel qu'établi au siècle dernier par MY DYING BRIDE, PARADISE LOST (première époque) et ANATHEMA (des débuts). Même les arrangements mélodiques (claviers, lignes de guitare Heavy) sont au rendez-vous.

MENTAL TORMENT ne peut donc pas prétendre surprendre son auditoire mais là n'est certainement pas le propos du groupe qui semble avoir axeé ses efforts sur la maîtrise du style pratiqué. Aidé par une production massive et cependant claire, MENTAL TORMENT atteint haut la main les critères de performance et d'efficacité. Lent, lourd, dépressif, écrasant, oppressant, mélodique toutefois (« I See This End », « The Drowned Man »), atmosphérique parfois, le Doom Death est performant. D'autant plus que le groupe a eu l'intelligence de ne pas proposer des compositions à rallonge, restant dans des durées raisonnables (entre 5 et 8 minutes) qui préservent l'efficacité des structures de chaque titre.

En résumé, un début tout à fait convaincant, qui laisse des raisons d'espérer de beaux développements pour MENTAL TORMENT qui doit avoir pour objectif principal d'affirmer encore sa personnalité.

Author: Alain Lavanne
Solitude Productions 29.03.2013, 23:11
Review
Hell Is Open
8/10
26.02.2013

Ein starkes Debütalbum liefern die Ukrainer hier ab. Düster und massiv, trotzdem noch dynamisch und melodisch. Sie finden einfach den richtigen Mittelweg und könnten somit nicht nur Doomheads sondern vielleicht auch Deathmaniacs mit Hang zum schleppenden Tempo begeistern. Denn es kommt auch mal die Doublebass zum Einsatz, als bestes Beispiel hier "My Torment". Und obwohl auch ein Keyboard im Einsatz ist, so bemerkt man es nur als flächiges Hintergrundelement, nie wird es aufdringlich oder zu dominant. Grosse Vorbilder der Jungs sind mit Sicherheit My Dying Bride ("Unspoken Word") oder frühe Paradise Lost, würde ich meinen. Aber das ist kein Nachteil, da man sich an den Vätern des Genres nur orientiert und nicht primitiv kopiert. Neben den tiefen Growls bekommt man vereinzelt auch Klargesang zu Gehör. Das hat mir gefallen da der ebenso gut ist und für Abwechslung neben den schon angesprochenen Growls sorgt. Am besten gelungen ist das Wechselspiel von Growl und Klargesang meiner Meinung nach in "I see this End". Die durchweg gute Gitarrenarbeit mit ihren klangvollen und erhabenen Melodien will ich auch noch erwähnen, da das ja auch keine Selbstverständlichkeit im Doom Genre ist. Hier werden nicht nur ewig die gleichen Akkorde runtergespielt, nix monoton oder langweilig, sondern spannend arrangiert wurden die Gitarrenwände ins Gesamtbild eingebettet.
Das Album bekam ein modernes Soundgewand verpasst, sauber und druckvoll schieben sich die 8 Titel aus den Boxen. Positiv ist mir dabei auch der Klang vom Schlagzeug aufgefallen der klar aber nicht klinisch ist.
Ein atmosphärisch dichtes Gesamtwerk haben die Ukrainer mit ihrem Debüt auf die Beine gestellt das mit Sicherheit für Aufmerksamkeit im DoomDeath Bereich sorgen wird. Verdient haben sie es.

Author: ALUCARD
Solitude Productions 26.02.2013, 21:17
Review
Iye Zine
7.5/10
28.01.2013

Un’altra band ucraina si affaccia alla ribalta della scena doom-death sotto l’egida dell Solitude e, come avvenuto di recente per i connazionali quali Embrace Of Silence e Narrow House, la cosa non può che essere salutata con piacere.

Purtroppo non è stato possibile raccogliere informazioni più dettagliate su questa formazione, lasciamo quindi che sia la musica contenuta in On The Verge … a descriverne le caratteristiche salienti.
Maelstrom e My Torment, i primi due veri brani dopo la breve intro, mostrano un songwriting creativo, sempre alla ricerca di atmosfere oscure e malinconiche senza indugiare troppo in passaggi interlocutori che, spesso, chi ha poco o nulla da dire tende ad aggiungere con l’unico intento di allungare a dismisura il brodo.
Un growl efficace ed un suono di chitarra diluito e alla costante ricerca della giusta melodia da incastonare all’interno di atmosfere opprimenti sono gli ingredienti che fanno di On The Verge … un disco riuscito e convincente.
Sento già qualche vocina sullo sfondo lamentarsi della poca originalità della proposta della band di Kiev, ma l’unica risposta possibile è questa: se qualcuno dimostra la capacità di creare composizioni in grado di emozionare e soddisfare chi ama questo genere non va certamente stigmatizzato perché altri sono riusciti prima in questo intento, piuttosto andrebbe solo incoraggiato e ringraziato per questo.
Cold Rusted Flame e Tragedy sono altri due episodi splendidi che si inseriscono nel solco tracciato dagli Officium Triste (come giustamente suggerisce la scarna bio in mio possesso), mentre sono meno d’accordo sull’accostamento con Mourning Beloveth e, soprattutto, Saturnus ma citerei invece, come ulteriore e più probabile affinità, i Frailty dello splendido “Melpomene”.
On The Verge … è un altro buonissimo esempio di death-doom, eseguito con gusto e competenza, proveniente dalle fredde ma prolifiche lande dell’estremo est europeo.

Author: Stefano Cavanna
Solitude Productions 29.01.2013, 16:22
Review
Spirit of Metal
09.05.2013

Peu de choses à dire sur les ukrainiens de Mental Torment: ce nouveau groupe formé à Kiev nous propose en 2013 son premier album chez les russes de Solitude Prod (dont ils représentent parfaitement, de par leur origine et le style de Doom qu'ils pratiquent, le type de groupe signé chez les moscovites).

Pour commencer il peut être utile de préciser que contrairement à ce que la jolie pochette (dont l'aspect digital fera sans doute fuir certains mais donne une certaine personnalité à l'illustration) et les différentes thématiques abordées (à ce propos, il aurait été judicieux de proposer les véritables paroles des morceaux au lieu des simples extraits présents dans le livret...) pourraient laisser penser, Mental Torment ne cherche pas à suivre les traces des allemands d'Ahab et de leur Nautik Funeral Doom. Les seuls points communs se limitent en effet à quelques vagues réminiscences dans l'atmosphère d'un morceau comme Maelstrom, pas de quoi y voir une filiation donc.

Non, le groupe ukrainien est plus à rapprocher des ténors du Doom Death à tendance mélo, offrant un album assez classique mais de bonne facture, notamment grâce à un travail mélodique de qualité. Sans non plus parvenir à doter leur groupe d'une véritable identité à ce niveau là, les ukrainiens font preuve d'un réel talent de compositeur, proposant des morceaux dans l'ensemble plutôt solides, à l'instar du poignant Maelstrom qui après une intro très atmosphérique du plus bel effet nous plonge directement dans ce que le groupe a de meilleur à nous offrir en combinant intelligemment des lignes de chant growlées particulièrement prenantes et des mélodies dont la simplicité n'entrave pas l'efficacité.
Si ce morceau sort du lot au premier abord de par sa capacité à immédiatement toucher l'auditeur, l'album dans son intégralité comporte plusieurs autres véritables moments de grâce se révélant au fil des écoutes, tel ce magnifique passage en chant clair parlé (paradoxal vu le nom du morceau) sur Unspoken Word. Soutenu par des guitares particulièrement inspirées bien que pas spécialement originales, on tient clairement là un des moments les plus mémorables de l'album.

Malheureusement si ce On the Verge... n'est donc vraiment pas dénué d'attraits, il n'empêche qu'une bonne partie de l'album n'est pas aussi éblouissante qu'elle aurait pu l'être. Sans jamais vraiment tomber dans le mauvais le groupe se contente trop souvent de faire dans le correct, sur le morceau My Torment par exemple, ce qui est d'autant plus dommage que la formation a visiblement le talent nécessaire pour viser bien plus haut. Un défaut cependant excusable pour ce qui reste un premier album et qui est au final fortement atténué par une répartition homogène dans l'album des différents points forts.

Un premier album tiraillé entre le très bon et le "sympa mais sans plus" donc, ce qui donne tout de même une moyenne tout à fait honorable au final. Plus qu'à attendre une suite qu'on espère plus personnelle et homogène qualitativement parlant, nos ukrainiens ayant clairement les moyens de transformer l'essai..

Author: Peacewalker
Solitude Productions 07.01.2013, 13:39
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