The debut full-length album by the leader of the Ukrainian band Edenian, Max Molodtsov, offers a 50-minutes long journey to the world of gloomy and hasteless, but atmospheric doom-death, where brutal elements are contrasted by melancholic interludes.The lyrics of the "Of Ruins..." album are based on the classical English poetry from the 19th century and the original author"s verses. Mixed and mastered at Slow Burn Studio (When Nothing Remains, Crypt Of Silence)
Tracklist:
1 A Reminiscence 8:53
2 Requiescat 6:23
3 On Another's Sorrow 10:11
4 Of Ruins 7:52
5 In The Time Of Tyrants 9:15
6 Echoes Of Endless Silence 6:45
Artist:
Sorrowful Land
Artist Country:
Ukraine
Album Year:
2016
Title:
Of Ruins…
Genre:
atmospheric death doom metal
Format:
CD
Type:
CD Album
Package:
Jewel Case
Label:
Solitude Productions
Cat Num:
SP. 119-16
Release Year:
2016
Barcode:
4 627080 611085
Country Of Manufacture:
Russia
Review
No Clean Singing
03.11.2016
On November 7, Solitude Productions will release the debut album of a Ukrainian one-man band named Sorrowful Land. Entitled Of Ruins…, it is the creation of Maks Molodtsov, who leads the gothic/doom band Edenian. We have for you today the premiere of a full stream of this strikingly powerful album.
You may see descriptions of the music on Of Ruins… as “atmospheric doom-death”, and I think that’s accurate, but perhaps to be more focused, I would describe the music as funeral doom of a kind that is reminiscent of the mighty Finnish bands Skepticism and Shape of Despair.
I don’t mean to say that Sorrowful Land uses the same palette of musical ingredients as those bands. In particular, keyboards are almost non-existent in the mix; in a few brief passages, classically influenced piano melodies are used, and you’ll hear the sound of symphonic strings in the introduction of one song, but the melodies on this album are predominantly executed with guitars.
In addition, there are no clean vocals, unless you count a few somber spoken-word passages and instances in which the lyrics are voiced in an unsettling whisper.
What Sorrowful Land does so masterfully, and thereby puts them in the same conversation with those superb Finnish bands, is blend together passages of colossal, earth-cracking force with sublime melodies that are both equally staggering in the emotional power of their misery, and hauntingly beautiful.
And of course Sorrowful Land is in no hurry; these songs are generally slow and deliberate. When the pace does pick up, it’s a matter of degree – more like the attack of a lumbering leviathan that’s large and powerful enough to crush mountains in its path.
The anchoring riffs and bass notes in these songs are titanic — immensely deep and low, and vibrating with bone-shaking distortion. The main vocals are also titanic – enormous, cavernous, rounded growls that seem to embody the yawning abyss of death, and then rise up into wrenching howls and yells of pain.
The lead melodies in the songs provide both contrasts and complements to the immense dirges in the foundations of the music. They harmonize with the melodic undercurrents in the music’s cavernous depths while tracing an array of mesmerizing variations, but the lead guitar melodies are high and sometimes almost crystalline, though their tone and the effects applied to them creates added variety and interest.
As for the atmosphere of these tremendously atmospheric elegies, the melodies are heartrending expressions of despondency, grief, and soul-shattering despair. But as drowning in woe and as disheartening as these expressions are, they create the kind of powerful and haunting beauty that resonates deeply in the souls of creatures who live with loss and death and who will inevitably face both themselves, i.e., all of us.
One more note before delivering the song streams to you: The lyrical texsts are based on classical English poetry from the 19th century and the original author’s verses.
Author: Islander
No Clean Singing
03.11.2016
On November 7, Solitude Productions will release the debut album of a Ukrainian one-man band named Sorrowful Land. Entitled Of Ruins…, it is the creation of Maks Molodtsov, who leads the gothic/doom band Edenian. We have for you today the premiere of a full stream of this strikingly powerful album.
You may see descriptions of the music on Of Ruins… as “atmospheric doom-death”, and I think that’s accurate, but perhaps to be more focused, I would describe the music as funeral doom of a kind that is reminiscent of the mighty Finnish bands Skepticism and Shape of Despair.
I don’t mean to say that Sorrowful Land uses the same palette of musical ingredients as those bands. In particular, keyboards are almost non-existent in the mix; in a few brief passages, classically influenced piano melodies are used, and you’ll hear the sound of symphonic strings in the introduction of one song, but the melodies on this album are predominantly executed with guitars.
In addition, there are no clean vocals, unless you count a few somber spoken-word passages and instances in which the lyrics are voiced in an unsettling whisper.
What Sorrowful Land does so masterfully, and thereby puts them in the same conversation with those superb Finnish bands, is blend together passages of colossal, earth-cracking force with sublime melodies that are both equally staggering in the emotional power of their misery, and hauntingly beautiful.
And of course Sorrowful Land is in no hurry; these songs are generally slow and deliberate. When the pace does pick up, it’s a matter of degree – more like the attack of a lumbering leviathan that’s large and powerful enough to crush mountains in its path.
The anchoring riffs and bass notes in these songs are titanic — immensely deep and low, and vibrating with bone-shaking distortion. The main vocals are also titanic – enormous, cavernous, rounded growls that seem to embody the yawning abyss of death, and then rise up into wrenching howls and yells of pain.
The lead melodies in the songs provide both contrasts and complements to the immense dirges in the foundations of the music. They harmonize with the melodic undercurrents in the music’s cavernous depths while tracing an array of mesmerizing variations, but the lead guitar melodies are high and sometimes almost crystalline, though their tone and the effects applied to them creates added variety and interest.
As for the atmosphere of these tremendously atmospheric elegies, the melodies are heartrending expressions of despondency, grief, and soul-shattering despair. But as drowning in woe and as disheartening as these expressions are, they create the kind of powerful and haunting beauty that resonates deeply in the souls of creatures who live with loss and death and who will inevitably face both themselves, i.e., all of us.
One more note before delivering the song streams to you: The lyrical texsts are based on classical English poetry from the 19th century and the original author’s verses.
Author: Islander
Review
Metal Injection
11.11.2016
It’s the weekend! What better way to get it started than with the latest installment of “Funeral Doom Friday”. This weekly column looks to shed some light onto some of the darkest, most depressing, and discordant metal out there. Funeral Doom stems from the deepest depths of Death-Doom and Dirge music. Each week, the goal is to highlight some of the newest music or rediscover classic works from some of the earliest bands and originators such as Australia’s Mournful Congregation, United States’s Evoken, UK’s Esoteric and the Finnish Thergothon. Feel free to share your opinions and suggestions in the comments!
sorrowful-land-of-ruins
Funeral Doom Friday sets its sights on Ukraine this week. Sorrowful Land is a one-man project from the city of Kharkov that was founded back in the spring of 2014. Initially, a duo of musicians, Max Molodtsov and Peter Laustsen worked together to release a demo track later that year. That track, “On Another’s Sorrow”, would be the only product of the duo’s efforts. Laustsen left Sorrowful Land in the early months of this year, leaving Molodtsov to construct the band’s music on his own. The results of his efforts have culminated in today’s feature, Of Ruins… The debut full-length album saw its release this week through Solitude Productions.
–– ADVERTISEMENT ––
No Clean Singing premiered and reviewed the album last week, providing a wonderful analysis about Of Ruins… In an effort to heap additional praise onto the album, Molodtsov’s channeling of current and former funerary greats is top-notch. Take this understood precedence of greatness and combine it with his work in gothic doom band, Edenian, and lyrical content built out 19th-century English poetry, and the end result is a wonderfully evocative piece of Atmospheric/Funeral Doom Metal. Comparisons have been drawn to Finnish legends Skepticism as well as Shape of Despair, but much can be said of a link between Of Ruins… and the music of United Kingdom greats, Esoteric.
Parallels exist between vocal styling and guitar melodies when comparing Sorrowful Land to the English titans. Molodstov and Esoteric’s Greg Chandler employ similar bellows. As for the guitar melodies, they evolve into punishing walls of lament. The former demo track, “On Another’s Sorrow” as well as the title track and album closer, “Echoes of Endless Silence” are all solid showcases for this. Molodstov’s appreciation of the inherent balance within Funeral Doom is strongest in his guitars. The threnody that radiates from sullen, stringed ambiance and the towering riffs come from the same stringed instruments and recesses of Max’s mind.
It is a late edition to the discussion for 2016’s best examples of Funeral Doom, but it pleads a worthy case. Check out the album below. For those that are interested, digital copies of Sorrowful Land’s debut album are available through the project’s Bandcamp page ($4.99) while physical copies are available through Solitude Productions ($10.) Make sure to follow Sorrowful Land on Facebook as well for all of Max’s major updates and Solitude Productions’ Facebook for similar releases from the past or in the future! Feel free to comment with your thoughts and future column suggestions at the bottom.
Author: CODY DAVIS
Metal Injection
11.11.2016
It’s the weekend! What better way to get it started than with the latest installment of “Funeral Doom Friday”. This weekly column looks to shed some light onto some of the darkest, most depressing, and discordant metal out there. Funeral Doom stems from the deepest depths of Death-Doom and Dirge music. Each week, the goal is to highlight some of the newest music or rediscover classic works from some of the earliest bands and originators such as Australia’s Mournful Congregation, United States’s Evoken, UK’s Esoteric and the Finnish Thergothon. Feel free to share your opinions and suggestions in the comments!
sorrowful-land-of-ruins
Funeral Doom Friday sets its sights on Ukraine this week. Sorrowful Land is a one-man project from the city of Kharkov that was founded back in the spring of 2014. Initially, a duo of musicians, Max Molodtsov and Peter Laustsen worked together to release a demo track later that year. That track, “On Another’s Sorrow”, would be the only product of the duo’s efforts. Laustsen left Sorrowful Land in the early months of this year, leaving Molodtsov to construct the band’s music on his own. The results of his efforts have culminated in today’s feature, Of Ruins… The debut full-length album saw its release this week through Solitude Productions.
–– ADVERTISEMENT ––
No Clean Singing premiered and reviewed the album last week, providing a wonderful analysis about Of Ruins… In an effort to heap additional praise onto the album, Molodtsov’s channeling of current and former funerary greats is top-notch. Take this understood precedence of greatness and combine it with his work in gothic doom band, Edenian, and lyrical content built out 19th-century English poetry, and the end result is a wonderfully evocative piece of Atmospheric/Funeral Doom Metal. Comparisons have been drawn to Finnish legends Skepticism as well as Shape of Despair, but much can be said of a link between Of Ruins… and the music of United Kingdom greats, Esoteric.
Parallels exist between vocal styling and guitar melodies when comparing Sorrowful Land to the English titans. Molodstov and Esoteric’s Greg Chandler employ similar bellows. As for the guitar melodies, they evolve into punishing walls of lament. The former demo track, “On Another’s Sorrow” as well as the title track and album closer, “Echoes of Endless Silence” are all solid showcases for this. Molodstov’s appreciation of the inherent balance within Funeral Doom is strongest in his guitars. The threnody that radiates from sullen, stringed ambiance and the towering riffs come from the same stringed instruments and recesses of Max’s mind.
It is a late edition to the discussion for 2016’s best examples of Funeral Doom, but it pleads a worthy case. Check out the album below. For those that are interested, digital copies of Sorrowful Land’s debut album are available through the project’s Bandcamp page ($4.99) while physical copies are available through Solitude Productions ($10.) Make sure to follow Sorrowful Land on Facebook as well for all of Max’s major updates and Solitude Productions’ Facebook for similar releases from the past or in the future! Feel free to comment with your thoughts and future column suggestions at the bottom.
Author: CODY DAVIS
Review
DarkUndergroundMusicZine
8/10
19.11.2016
Sorrowful Land are a band from Ukraine that plays an atmospheric form of funeral doom/death metal and this is a review of their 2016 album “Of Ruins” which was released by Solitude Productions.
Clean guitars start off the album before going into a heavier and atmospheric direction and the riffs also use a great amount of depressive melodies along with a great amount of 90’s influences and whispers can also be heard at times and after awhile death metal growls start to make their presence known.
Spoken word parts can also be heard at times along with all of the tracks are very long and epic in length and some songs also bring in a small amount of high pitched screams which also gives the music a touch of black metal and the songs also bring in atmospheric synths and the guitr leads are done in a very melodic fashion and all of the songs stick to a very slow musical direction.
Sorrowful Land plays a style of funeral doom/death metal that is very slow, atmospheric, dark and melodic sounding, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics are based upon 19th century English poetry.
In my opinion Sorrowful Land are a very great sounding atmospheric funeral doom/death metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE “On Another’s Sorrow” and “Echoes Of Endless Space”.
Author: OccultBlackMetal
DarkUndergroundMusicZine
8/10
19.11.2016
Sorrowful Land are a band from Ukraine that plays an atmospheric form of funeral doom/death metal and this is a review of their 2016 album “Of Ruins” which was released by Solitude Productions.
Clean guitars start off the album before going into a heavier and atmospheric direction and the riffs also use a great amount of depressive melodies along with a great amount of 90’s influences and whispers can also be heard at times and after awhile death metal growls start to make their presence known.
Spoken word parts can also be heard at times along with all of the tracks are very long and epic in length and some songs also bring in a small amount of high pitched screams which also gives the music a touch of black metal and the songs also bring in atmospheric synths and the guitr leads are done in a very melodic fashion and all of the songs stick to a very slow musical direction.
Sorrowful Land plays a style of funeral doom/death metal that is very slow, atmospheric, dark and melodic sounding, the production sounds very professional while the lyrics are based upon 19th century English poetry.
In my opinion Sorrowful Land are a very great sounding atmospheric funeral doom/death metal band and if you are a fan of this musical genre, you should check out this recording. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE “On Another’s Sorrow” and “Echoes Of Endless Space”.
Author: OccultBlackMetal
Review
Doom-Metal.com
6/10
21.11.2016
This six-song, fifty-minute, effort from multi-instrumentalist Max Molodtsov (also of the band Edenian – who I’m not familiar with), establishes its referents and emotional agenda from the off. Steeped in early Anathema, My Dying Bride, Mourning Beloveth, Saturnus (…ad infinitum…), the soundscape is lush and drearily melodic, underpinned by simple down-tuned riffing and tasteful piano and orchestration. Tearful lead-lines dripping with reverb and sustain soar over the rain-soaked arrangements and vocals which alternate between whispered spoken passages and a harsh guttural roar (the lyrics are apparently a mixture of English romantic poetry and Molodtsov’s own compositions; they are apt and well-chosen, though for the most part indecipherable). The fundamentals are sound: arrangements are hard to fault and the balance of textures is well judged; the production – though perhaps a little lifeless and synthetic – is clear and professional sounding. The overall atmosphere – of listless sorrow, regret and decay – is convincingly actualised; instrumentation is competent, although the drums, alas, are synthesised, and the snare sound is of the ‘whacking-the-biscuit-tin’ variety. That aside, nothing here is inept or offensive to the ear, the obvious influences seamlessly synthesized and redeployed.
Sadly, that is as far as it goes. I have listened to this record a number of times from start to finish. I am listening to it again as I write. Not once has a single riff or melodic idea intruded itself into my consciousness and commanded attention – quite the opposite in fact. Despite repeated listens I still couldn’t tell you much about track 5 (‘Time of Tyrants’) or track 6 (‘Echoes of Endless Silence’) – not because these songs are bad, far from it, but because each time I try to pay attention, my mind wanders away around halfway through the album; my brain simply refuses to accept the data.
Imagine, if you would, a substantial grey stone manor house, with austere, neo-classical façade and its high leaded windows look out onto a swathe of landscaped gardens – once immaculate in their facsimile of a sublime romantic ideal, now long overgrown, turning wild and unkempt from a hundred years of neglect.
You sit inside by a ground floor window, gazing out at the encroaching ivy and marauding rhodedendrons, washed out to colourless torpor under a flat grey cloud that stretches to eternity. A gentle rain drums against the glass – the only sound. You turn from the window to the room behind you. Dust gathers in the empty corners of the room, piling into little dunes on the bare floorboards. The room is bare, stripped of furnishings, dark oblong patches on the walls where pictures once hung. The limestone fireplace remains in place, elegantly sculpted and corbelled, but no fire has burned in its grate for a century.
You get up and begin to walk through the house, passing from room to room like a searching ghost; every space is alike: dust, shadows, emptiness, silence.
And as you wander you realise that within the fragile beauty, the sadness, the ruin, the solitude and the futility there lies something else: a terrible, wearisome ennui.
You are – you suddenly realise – mind-numbingly, soul-crushingly bored.
Thus it is with ‘Of Ruins…’. For all that its atmospheres are evocative and well-constructed – immersive, even – there is no getting away from the conclusion that, in final analysis, the whole thing – including all that atmospheric weight – is simply enervating. This makes it a difficult album to review, as the record largely succeeds on its own terms, and I daresay that some may object to my assessment of it. Ultimately, however, there is little here that would move me to return to it in the future, just as there is nothing about it that will coach my carcass out of the armchair to go and turn it off. It is not in any way bad, but neither is it anything more than the sum of its influences. I have the feeling that with bravery and determination, Molodtsov could turn out an album of genuine power and artistic depth. Of Ruins… is not that album. Not quite.
Author: Tom Williams
Doom-Metal.com
6/10
21.11.2016
This six-song, fifty-minute, effort from multi-instrumentalist Max Molodtsov (also of the band Edenian – who I’m not familiar with), establishes its referents and emotional agenda from the off. Steeped in early Anathema, My Dying Bride, Mourning Beloveth, Saturnus (…ad infinitum…), the soundscape is lush and drearily melodic, underpinned by simple down-tuned riffing and tasteful piano and orchestration. Tearful lead-lines dripping with reverb and sustain soar over the rain-soaked arrangements and vocals which alternate between whispered spoken passages and a harsh guttural roar (the lyrics are apparently a mixture of English romantic poetry and Molodtsov’s own compositions; they are apt and well-chosen, though for the most part indecipherable). The fundamentals are sound: arrangements are hard to fault and the balance of textures is well judged; the production – though perhaps a little lifeless and synthetic – is clear and professional sounding. The overall atmosphere – of listless sorrow, regret and decay – is convincingly actualised; instrumentation is competent, although the drums, alas, are synthesised, and the snare sound is of the ‘whacking-the-biscuit-tin’ variety. That aside, nothing here is inept or offensive to the ear, the obvious influences seamlessly synthesized and redeployed.
Sadly, that is as far as it goes. I have listened to this record a number of times from start to finish. I am listening to it again as I write. Not once has a single riff or melodic idea intruded itself into my consciousness and commanded attention – quite the opposite in fact. Despite repeated listens I still couldn’t tell you much about track 5 (‘Time of Tyrants’) or track 6 (‘Echoes of Endless Silence’) – not because these songs are bad, far from it, but because each time I try to pay attention, my mind wanders away around halfway through the album; my brain simply refuses to accept the data.
Imagine, if you would, a substantial grey stone manor house, with austere, neo-classical façade and its high leaded windows look out onto a swathe of landscaped gardens – once immaculate in their facsimile of a sublime romantic ideal, now long overgrown, turning wild and unkempt from a hundred years of neglect.
You sit inside by a ground floor window, gazing out at the encroaching ivy and marauding rhodedendrons, washed out to colourless torpor under a flat grey cloud that stretches to eternity. A gentle rain drums against the glass – the only sound. You turn from the window to the room behind you. Dust gathers in the empty corners of the room, piling into little dunes on the bare floorboards. The room is bare, stripped of furnishings, dark oblong patches on the walls where pictures once hung. The limestone fireplace remains in place, elegantly sculpted and corbelled, but no fire has burned in its grate for a century.
You get up and begin to walk through the house, passing from room to room like a searching ghost; every space is alike: dust, shadows, emptiness, silence.
And as you wander you realise that within the fragile beauty, the sadness, the ruin, the solitude and the futility there lies something else: a terrible, wearisome ennui.
You are – you suddenly realise – mind-numbingly, soul-crushingly bored.
Thus it is with ‘Of Ruins…’. For all that its atmospheres are evocative and well-constructed – immersive, even – there is no getting away from the conclusion that, in final analysis, the whole thing – including all that atmospheric weight – is simply enervating. This makes it a difficult album to review, as the record largely succeeds on its own terms, and I daresay that some may object to my assessment of it. Ultimately, however, there is little here that would move me to return to it in the future, just as there is nothing about it that will coach my carcass out of the armchair to go and turn it off. It is not in any way bad, but neither is it anything more than the sum of its influences. I have the feeling that with bravery and determination, Molodtsov could turn out an album of genuine power and artistic depth. Of Ruins… is not that album. Not quite.
Author: Tom Williams
Review
Darker Magazine
20.11.2016
«Дум – метал» уж точно нельзя назвать одним из самых популярных направлений в рок – музыке. Главной чертой этого направления является медленный темп и наполненные отчаянием и страхом композиции. Есть множество разновидностей дум-метала, в одних используется чистый вокал, в других «гроулинг» и даже «скриминг», однако, общая составляющая печали является обязательным атрибутом любой песни, выполненной в данном жанре. К чему всё это описание? А к тому, что объектом обозревания в этой рецензии является проект «Sorrowful Land», работающий именно в этом удивительном музыкальном жанре.
«Sorrowful Land» был образован в апреле 2014 года двумя музыкантами: шведом Питером Лаустсеном («When Nothing Remains», «Nox Aurea») и украинцем Максом Молодцовым («Edenian») и поэтому его смело можно было считать интернациональным студийным проектом. Однако, в начале 2016 года, Питер Лаустсен выходит из состава группы и в связи с этим, «Sorrowful Land» становится сольным проектом Макса Молодцова. Совсем недавно лейбл «Solitude Productions» выпустил дебютный альбом проекта, который получил название «Of Ruins…» , поэтому давайте как можно быстрее приступим к более подробному ознакомлению с ним.
Релиз «Of Ruins…» представляет собой шесть композиций, длительность которых, как это часто бывает в «дум – метале» составляет от шести и до целых десяти минут звучания. Теперь о самой пластинке. Что же хочется отметить? В первую очередь, дико напряжённую, мрачную и тягучую атмосферу, которая присутствует в каждой композиции. Во – вторых, нельзя не сказать про потрясающие мелодичные вставки, пронизывающие слушателя до глубины души. Отдельно стоит упомянуть одноимённую композицию «Of Ruins…»: здесь есть всё, за что стоить любить «дум-метал». Медленное, неторопливое начало, которое плавно набирает всё большие обороты и к концовке выдаёт такой мощный и эпический звук, что просто восхищаешься тем фактом, что творцом всего этого удивительного музыкального произведения является один человек. Макс Молодцов действительно большой молодец и, безусловно, талантливый музыкант и этот альбом яркое тому подтверждение. Качество записи заслуживает самых высоких похвал, всё звучит настолько профессионально и чисто, что порой просто диву даёшься.
Что хочется сказать в заключении. Альбом «Of Ruins…» совершенно точно можно назвать качественным продуктом, который обязательно найдёт своего слушателя. Ознакомиться с ним стоит как всем фанатам «дум-метала», так и всем любителям экстремальных направлений рок-музыки и просто ценителям медленных, вязких мелодий, под которые можно просто смотреть в одну точку и ни о чём не думать. Альбом очень хорошо слушается в состоянии печали и тихой грусти. А вот людям, которые любят более быстрый ритм и менее удручающую атмосферу, явно стоит проходить мимо, ибо ничего подобного здесь нет и в помине. В общем, определяйте свой психологический типаж, и вам сразу станет понятно, стоит ли включать пластинку «Of Ruins…» или нет.
Author: Юрий Зефиров
Darker Magazine
20.11.2016
«Дум – метал» уж точно нельзя назвать одним из самых популярных направлений в рок – музыке. Главной чертой этого направления является медленный темп и наполненные отчаянием и страхом композиции. Есть множество разновидностей дум-метала, в одних используется чистый вокал, в других «гроулинг» и даже «скриминг», однако, общая составляющая печали является обязательным атрибутом любой песни, выполненной в данном жанре. К чему всё это описание? А к тому, что объектом обозревания в этой рецензии является проект «Sorrowful Land», работающий именно в этом удивительном музыкальном жанре.
«Sorrowful Land» был образован в апреле 2014 года двумя музыкантами: шведом Питером Лаустсеном («When Nothing Remains», «Nox Aurea») и украинцем Максом Молодцовым («Edenian») и поэтому его смело можно было считать интернациональным студийным проектом. Однако, в начале 2016 года, Питер Лаустсен выходит из состава группы и в связи с этим, «Sorrowful Land» становится сольным проектом Макса Молодцова. Совсем недавно лейбл «Solitude Productions» выпустил дебютный альбом проекта, который получил название «Of Ruins…» , поэтому давайте как можно быстрее приступим к более подробному ознакомлению с ним.
Релиз «Of Ruins…» представляет собой шесть композиций, длительность которых, как это часто бывает в «дум – метале» составляет от шести и до целых десяти минут звучания. Теперь о самой пластинке. Что же хочется отметить? В первую очередь, дико напряжённую, мрачную и тягучую атмосферу, которая присутствует в каждой композиции. Во – вторых, нельзя не сказать про потрясающие мелодичные вставки, пронизывающие слушателя до глубины души. Отдельно стоит упомянуть одноимённую композицию «Of Ruins…»: здесь есть всё, за что стоить любить «дум-метал». Медленное, неторопливое начало, которое плавно набирает всё большие обороты и к концовке выдаёт такой мощный и эпический звук, что просто восхищаешься тем фактом, что творцом всего этого удивительного музыкального произведения является один человек. Макс Молодцов действительно большой молодец и, безусловно, талантливый музыкант и этот альбом яркое тому подтверждение. Качество записи заслуживает самых высоких похвал, всё звучит настолько профессионально и чисто, что порой просто диву даёшься.
Что хочется сказать в заключении. Альбом «Of Ruins…» совершенно точно можно назвать качественным продуктом, который обязательно найдёт своего слушателя. Ознакомиться с ним стоит как всем фанатам «дум-метала», так и всем любителям экстремальных направлений рок-музыки и просто ценителям медленных, вязких мелодий, под которые можно просто смотреть в одну точку и ни о чём не думать. Альбом очень хорошо слушается в состоянии печали и тихой грусти. А вот людям, которые любят более быстрый ритм и менее удручающую атмосферу, явно стоит проходить мимо, ибо ничего подобного здесь нет и в помине. В общем, определяйте свой психологический типаж, и вам сразу станет понятно, стоит ли включать пластинку «Of Ruins…» или нет.
Author: Юрий Зефиров
Review
Iye Zine
7.9/10
23.11.2016
Avevamo già potuto apprezzare il talento compositivo di Max Molodtsov in occasione delle due uscite del 2014 targate Edenian, dove con il nickname di Eternal Tom si cimentava in un gothic doom con tanto di voce femminile, sulla scia dei Draconian.
Con questo suo progetto solista, il musicista ucraino può dare sfogo ad un’indole che lo porta ad avvicinare il death doom di matrice svedese, in scia ai When Nothing Remains (non a caso Peter Laustsen fa capolino in On Another’s Sorrow) e i Doom Vs. di quel Johan Ericson che, per Molodtsov, costituisce sicuramente un modello dal punto di vista chitarristico, vista la notevole affinità di tocco già evidenziata nei lavori degli Edenian.
Con questi riferimenti e le già riconosciute doti tecniche di prim’ordine da mettere sul piatto, era fin troppo facile prevedere la riuscita di quest’esordio dei Sorrowful Land: grandi melodie, splendido lavoro chitarristico, vocals convincenti ed atmosfere pregne di dolente malinconia, nulla che non vada, insomma.
Se proprio vogliamo trovare il classico pelo nell’uovo, Of Ruins … in certi tratti potrebbe davvero essere scambiato per un nuovo album dei When Nothing Remains, ma alla fine chi se ne importa, quando nel lettore scorrono cinquanta minuti di death doom melodico di prima qualità: noi appassionati del genere chiediamo essenzialmente ai musicisti di emozionarci, e lasciamo volentieri la ricerca della pietra filosofale (sotto forma di originalità) a chi possiede menti meno semplici e lineari delle nostre …
Con gli indizi che ho fornito mi pare superfluo spiegare ulteriormente i contenuti del lavoro: chi ama le band citate si immerga senza indugio nell’ascolto dei brani grondanti emozioni contenuti in Of Ruins …
Author: STEFANO CAVANNA
Iye Zine
7.9/10
23.11.2016
Avevamo già potuto apprezzare il talento compositivo di Max Molodtsov in occasione delle due uscite del 2014 targate Edenian, dove con il nickname di Eternal Tom si cimentava in un gothic doom con tanto di voce femminile, sulla scia dei Draconian.
Con questo suo progetto solista, il musicista ucraino può dare sfogo ad un’indole che lo porta ad avvicinare il death doom di matrice svedese, in scia ai When Nothing Remains (non a caso Peter Laustsen fa capolino in On Another’s Sorrow) e i Doom Vs. di quel Johan Ericson che, per Molodtsov, costituisce sicuramente un modello dal punto di vista chitarristico, vista la notevole affinità di tocco già evidenziata nei lavori degli Edenian.
Con questi riferimenti e le già riconosciute doti tecniche di prim’ordine da mettere sul piatto, era fin troppo facile prevedere la riuscita di quest’esordio dei Sorrowful Land: grandi melodie, splendido lavoro chitarristico, vocals convincenti ed atmosfere pregne di dolente malinconia, nulla che non vada, insomma.
Se proprio vogliamo trovare il classico pelo nell’uovo, Of Ruins … in certi tratti potrebbe davvero essere scambiato per un nuovo album dei When Nothing Remains, ma alla fine chi se ne importa, quando nel lettore scorrono cinquanta minuti di death doom melodico di prima qualità: noi appassionati del genere chiediamo essenzialmente ai musicisti di emozionarci, e lasciamo volentieri la ricerca della pietra filosofale (sotto forma di originalità) a chi possiede menti meno semplici e lineari delle nostre …
Con gli indizi che ho fornito mi pare superfluo spiegare ulteriormente i contenuti del lavoro: chi ama le band citate si immerga senza indugio nell’ascolto dei brani grondanti emozioni contenuti in Of Ruins …
Author: STEFANO CAVANNA
Review
Head-Banger Reviews
24.11.2016
I’m as much of a fan of the absolutely fucking crushing intensity that doom metal can pump out that can also be slower than the line at the DMV, but every now and then calls for a change of pace. Perhaps a little bit of atmosphere and less crunch to do the trick? That’s what Sorrowful Land has done with its debut album, and this one-man band shows with one solitary record alone that the mastermind knows precisely what he’s doing.
Being the sole member of a band is a fairly tricky thing I’d imagine. As someone who couldn’t play an instrument to save his goddamn life (and go figure, I judge other peoples’ music, weird) it’s unfathomable to me that someone can learn how to play guitar, bass, drums, and then even fucking sing then manage to throw it all into one cohesive piece. Then I see pieces like “Of Ruins…” which, if I’m honest, is literal leagues from other pieces I’ve heard from one-man groups, but it’s also very far from being the worst. Clocking in over 45 minutes in total, Sorrowful Land doesn’t skimp at all for those doom fans out there looking for the decently lengthy tracks with the shortest being no less than over six minutes and the longest over ten. Yet if you’ve come looking for some heavy as fuck doom metal that’s like that of the funeral variety, I’m afraid you’ll have to look elsewhere because while “Of Ruins…” brings a good, solid crunch to its mix it’s not crushingly heavy that some people such as myself look for from time to time. Sorrowful Land brings a good atmosphere to the record as well as plenty of pacing so you don’t feel like you’ve been in the same place for too long, but in no way does it damper the overall experience of this record. Simply, a good time from a band that shows plenty of promise.
I always like seeing what fresh new bands manage to put out, and then finding out that it’s something interesting is even better because then I want to see where the band can go, and that’s what I want with Sorrowful Land. “Of Ruins…” showcases boatloads of promise and if this very nice debut has anything to show, it’s that the man behind this record has much more to behold.
Author: VINTERD
Head-Banger Reviews
24.11.2016
I’m as much of a fan of the absolutely fucking crushing intensity that doom metal can pump out that can also be slower than the line at the DMV, but every now and then calls for a change of pace. Perhaps a little bit of atmosphere and less crunch to do the trick? That’s what Sorrowful Land has done with its debut album, and this one-man band shows with one solitary record alone that the mastermind knows precisely what he’s doing.
Being the sole member of a band is a fairly tricky thing I’d imagine. As someone who couldn’t play an instrument to save his goddamn life (and go figure, I judge other peoples’ music, weird) it’s unfathomable to me that someone can learn how to play guitar, bass, drums, and then even fucking sing then manage to throw it all into one cohesive piece. Then I see pieces like “Of Ruins…” which, if I’m honest, is literal leagues from other pieces I’ve heard from one-man groups, but it’s also very far from being the worst. Clocking in over 45 minutes in total, Sorrowful Land doesn’t skimp at all for those doom fans out there looking for the decently lengthy tracks with the shortest being no less than over six minutes and the longest over ten. Yet if you’ve come looking for some heavy as fuck doom metal that’s like that of the funeral variety, I’m afraid you’ll have to look elsewhere because while “Of Ruins…” brings a good, solid crunch to its mix it’s not crushingly heavy that some people such as myself look for from time to time. Sorrowful Land brings a good atmosphere to the record as well as plenty of pacing so you don’t feel like you’ve been in the same place for too long, but in no way does it damper the overall experience of this record. Simply, a good time from a band that shows plenty of promise.
I always like seeing what fresh new bands manage to put out, and then finding out that it’s something interesting is even better because then I want to see where the band can go, and that’s what I want with Sorrowful Land. “Of Ruins…” showcases boatloads of promise and if this very nice debut has anything to show, it’s that the man behind this record has much more to behold.
Author: VINTERD
Review
Terra Relicta
10/10
27.11.2016
Welcome to an epic doomy journey! First of all I must say that lately I’ve been on a slight doom metal ride and Sorrowful Land with this magnificient album named Of Ruins… just came to me in the right time, and what an amazing record they have built up. It’s hard to put together a good resume of how to describe the album. The production reminds me of Doom:VS 2008′ album Dead Words Speak, it has that similar sort of muddy guitar sound with loads of beautiful keys in the background which creates the right vibe of the album. Songs are raging from more traditonal doom metal to a pure funeral doom. The band is hailing form Ukraine, a country which is not really known for doom bands, but it’s more than great to see that they have promising acts there.
I love the mix between clean and growling vocals, that has always been something I’ve enjoyed in doom metal. Crushing, highly melodic, yet dark and deep, the band marches forward slowly and steady. They are building up one hell of a really nice energy around itself, like a wall of fragile and elegant sounds. With beautiful clean melodies and a clear idea where things are heading the band presents six tracks of pure crushing epic melancholic doom, and believe me if you are fan of gloomy doom that this is everything you could ever want from a doom metal album, really, this record is a pure pile of gold for all doom metal fans. The songs tend to stick to very typical slow doom tempo, but still there’s more than enough going on that you would ever expect, for example the small fills and tom rolls, and not necessarily sticking to the traditonal doom metal structure, just listen for example to grandiose epic “On Another’s Sorrow” to get an idea. Sometimes the sound reminds me slightly to early Katatonia or Hamferå, the guitar work is impressively tight and is leaving room for plenty of nice guitar harmonies and melodic lines, while the drums are slowly pounding and back up everything so nicely.
The more I listen to it the more I get dragged into the depths of this magic album, while the songs are fairly long, they offer just enough of diversity and I can almost want them to be even longer. It’s harsh enough, and melodic yet stunningly beautiful! Even if this is their first album, Sorrowful Land will clearly left a mark in the scene for sure with this stunning release.
Author: Oliver
Terra Relicta
10/10
27.11.2016
Welcome to an epic doomy journey! First of all I must say that lately I’ve been on a slight doom metal ride and Sorrowful Land with this magnificient album named Of Ruins… just came to me in the right time, and what an amazing record they have built up. It’s hard to put together a good resume of how to describe the album. The production reminds me of Doom:VS 2008′ album Dead Words Speak, it has that similar sort of muddy guitar sound with loads of beautiful keys in the background which creates the right vibe of the album. Songs are raging from more traditonal doom metal to a pure funeral doom. The band is hailing form Ukraine, a country which is not really known for doom bands, but it’s more than great to see that they have promising acts there.
I love the mix between clean and growling vocals, that has always been something I’ve enjoyed in doom metal. Crushing, highly melodic, yet dark and deep, the band marches forward slowly and steady. They are building up one hell of a really nice energy around itself, like a wall of fragile and elegant sounds. With beautiful clean melodies and a clear idea where things are heading the band presents six tracks of pure crushing epic melancholic doom, and believe me if you are fan of gloomy doom that this is everything you could ever want from a doom metal album, really, this record is a pure pile of gold for all doom metal fans. The songs tend to stick to very typical slow doom tempo, but still there’s more than enough going on that you would ever expect, for example the small fills and tom rolls, and not necessarily sticking to the traditonal doom metal structure, just listen for example to grandiose epic “On Another’s Sorrow” to get an idea. Sometimes the sound reminds me slightly to early Katatonia or Hamferå, the guitar work is impressively tight and is leaving room for plenty of nice guitar harmonies and melodic lines, while the drums are slowly pounding and back up everything so nicely.
The more I listen to it the more I get dragged into the depths of this magic album, while the songs are fairly long, they offer just enough of diversity and I can almost want them to be even longer. It’s harsh enough, and melodic yet stunningly beautiful! Even if this is their first album, Sorrowful Land will clearly left a mark in the scene for sure with this stunning release.
Author: Oliver
Review
Metal Na Lata
9.5/10
30.11.2016
Interessante como cresce a cena Doom Metal nos últimos anos, trazendo novas bandas e dando um ar fresco ao estilo, o mais novo nome é o Sorrowful Land que foi criado em 2014 na Ucrânia e que já chega com um excelente debut, “Of Ruins…” que traz um clima sombrio e melodias fúnebre bastante marcantes.
O álbum contém 6 faixas, quase 50 minutos de muita inspiração e uma viagem épica angustiante e inesquecível, onde nota se que a banda fez tudo com muito cuidado, cada detalhe aqui é extremamente de bom gosto, linha vocal que passeia entre gutural e limpo, guitarra arrastada e marcante com bastante melodia, baixo e bateria seguindo juntos em um andamento lento e intrigante.
Desde a abertura com “A Reminiscence” até a última faixa ” Echoes Of Endless Silence”, temos um funeral com letras baseadas em poesias do século XIX .
Um grande álbum que com toda certeza fará o nome Sorrowful Land ecoar por todos que curtem o lado sombrio do estilo.
Author: William Ribas
Metal Na Lata
9.5/10
30.11.2016
Interessante como cresce a cena Doom Metal nos últimos anos, trazendo novas bandas e dando um ar fresco ao estilo, o mais novo nome é o Sorrowful Land que foi criado em 2014 na Ucrânia e que já chega com um excelente debut, “Of Ruins…” que traz um clima sombrio e melodias fúnebre bastante marcantes.
O álbum contém 6 faixas, quase 50 minutos de muita inspiração e uma viagem épica angustiante e inesquecível, onde nota se que a banda fez tudo com muito cuidado, cada detalhe aqui é extremamente de bom gosto, linha vocal que passeia entre gutural e limpo, guitarra arrastada e marcante com bastante melodia, baixo e bateria seguindo juntos em um andamento lento e intrigante.
Desde a abertura com “A Reminiscence” até a última faixa ” Echoes Of Endless Silence”, temos um funeral com letras baseadas em poesias do século XIX .
Um grande álbum que com toda certeza fará o nome Sorrowful Land ecoar por todos que curtem o lado sombrio do estilo.
Author: William Ribas
Review
Winter Torment webzine
27.11.2016
Coming out of the Ukraine is atmospheric death/doom Sorrowful Land with their debut CD. Sorrowful Land play a very mature style of atmospheric death/doom, the guitars are well written and performed with mainly slow heavy guitar patterns and riffs.The drums are done with some precise and well arranged, drum patterns that are mainly in the slower vein but do go for a mid-paced style in a few songs. The vocalist does a good job with both death metal growls and some spoken clean vocals used throughout a few songs. If you are a fan of atmospheric death/doom then be sure to pick up Sorrowful Land’s debut “Of Ruins…” today.
Author: Patrick
Winter Torment webzine
27.11.2016
Coming out of the Ukraine is atmospheric death/doom Sorrowful Land with their debut CD. Sorrowful Land play a very mature style of atmospheric death/doom, the guitars are well written and performed with mainly slow heavy guitar patterns and riffs.The drums are done with some precise and well arranged, drum patterns that are mainly in the slower vein but do go for a mid-paced style in a few songs. The vocalist does a good job with both death metal growls and some spoken clean vocals used throughout a few songs. If you are a fan of atmospheric death/doom then be sure to pick up Sorrowful Land’s debut “Of Ruins…” today.
Author: Patrick
