Doom:VS - Aeternum Vale (2x12'' LP) Gatefold

death doom metal, Solitude Productions, Solitude Vinyl
$45.00
Vinyl
Price in points: 4500 points
SP. 004LP VinylX
In stock
+
The first vinyl edition of the cult album “Aeternum Vale” by Doom: VS. Debut work of the project by Johan Ericson, the guitarist of the Swedish band Draconian, after becoming an authoritative example of the genre and a real rarity, finally embodied in the form of a double 180 gram black vinyl (45 rpm) packed in a folding envelope reproducing the original CD design from 2006. The limited edition of 300 copies is issued to commemorate the twelve years since establishing the top Russian doom metal label Solitude Productions and is timed to the eleventh anniversary of the album’s release. The vinyl re-issue of “Aeternum Vale” will allow all fans of doom death metal to experience again the indescribable feelings when listening to the legendary record and touch the part of the musician’s soul embodied in the harsh, but at the same time atmospheric and melodic music.

Tracklist:
A1. The Light That Would Fade 9:28
B1. Empire Of The Fallen 5:41
B2. The Faded Earth 8:01
C1. Oblivion Upon Us 7:28
C2. The Crawling Insects 7:01
D1. Aeternus 12:26

Artist:
Doom:VS
Artist Country:
Sweden
Album Year:
2006
Title:
Aeternum Vale
Genre:
death doom metal
Format:
Vinyl
Type:
2x12'' LP
Package:
Gatefold
Colour:
black
Additional info:
180 gram, 45 RPM
Label:
Solitude Productions
Cat Num:
SP. 004LP
Release Year:
2017
Barcode:
4627080610569
Country Of Manufacture:
Russia
Великолепный звук, идеальный винил по массе. Отличный мастеринг!
Review
Doom-metal.com
7.5/10
25.04.2019

Speaking of Doom re-releases, of which there have been a fair, and steadily increasing number these last few years, the Solitude Productions juggernaut has also been weighing in with a selection of repackaged classics, with Doom:VS, the solo side-project of Draconian's Johan Ericson, amongst them. Though the last release, 2014's 'Earthless', was on the Solitude roster to begin with, the two earlier albums were with the now-defunct Firedoom label. Now, both 'Aeternum Vale' and 'Dead Words Speak' have been unearthed in various CD (and accompanying vinyl) presentations, starting in 2017 with the double LP of 'Aeternum Vale', and continuing through to the end of 2018.

We do have a brief review of the original CD: it was hotly anticipated at the time, coming off the back of Draconian's finest hour. As far as I can tell, the only change here is the six-panel digi cover - everything else in the packaging and sound is identical, and even the additional artwork in the fold-out reuses material from the original - and a lightscribed set of logos on the playing side of the disc itself. Presumably the jewelcase option would be identical bar the lightscribing. Well, why not? If it ain't broke, and all that...

And it certainly wasn't broke, in any way. By 2008, when it first appeared, even the underground scene had access to mature and comprehensive digital technology. Unlike some of the much older material being unearthed and repackaged, there was no real need to struggle along with a rough and ready "recorded in next door's dustbin" type of sound - unless, of course, you wanted to. Doom:VS, clearly, did not want anything to do with that sort of lo-fi aesthetic - 'Aeternum Vale' arrived with all of the polish, clarity and attention to detail that had characterised the lush presentations of Ericson's main band's sweeping Gothic/Doom extravagance. Doom:VS took a rather different musical path, though, straddling the softer and more melodic Funeral/Death/Doom borders in similar fashion to then-labelmates Colosseum and Remembrance, all of whom could be considered fairly exemplary of the so-called 'Firedoom sound'.

Musically, unsurprisingly, there's quite a lot of Draconian showing through the mournful melancholy, though frequently slowed down to a Funeral pace. Slowness aside, its detail and variance leans more toward the melodic Death/Doom side. It's hard to fault Ericson putting his well-established credentials as a composer and arranger, as well as performer, to good use here, nor even that they do end up sounding quite familiar. Lyrically, the bleak defeatist and depressive lyrics are both generic and naive images, quite reminiscent of earlier Katatonia, but their well-delivered harsh - and sometimes clean - delivery compensates for that well enough.

At the time, I thought it was perhaps a little too light and undemanding, and too often a little too close to the parent band - not quite drawing enough distance to sound like a fully-matured separate project. Revisiting it now, I still think that's the case - though, given both follow-ups have steered a similar course, that doesn't appear to be any sort of a band priority or intention. That said, 'Aeternum Vale' nonetheless comes out of this revival with honour intact. It made an impact at the time, sound-wise it's stood up to the passage of years, and it's a valid sort of mezzanine sitting between Draconian and Saturnus, worth visiting for anyone who thinks both bands should have made several more albums. Look over the balcony, and you'll certainly see the wider, more significant floors devoted to both of those bands, but as a place to spend some time, it's pleasant and far from uncomfortable. Of course, with an additional and prolific decade of melodic Funeral/Death/Doom to choose from, Doom:VS faces a harder task in standing out enough to attract legions of new fans. Still, slick, polished, focused and effective as it is, there's no denying it's still an album worthy of including in any comprehensive Doom collection. So, if you don't yet have a copy, this very-slightly-nicer edition will set you back less than tracking down one of the remaining Firedoom originals. Sounds like a bargain...

Author: Mike Liassides
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