UMUR
"A Feast of Virgin Souls" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US doom metal act Wooden Stake. The album was released through Razorback Recordings in March 2015. Wooden Stake was formed in 2010 by bassist/vocalist Vanessa Nocera and guitarist/drummer/keyboard player Wayne Sarantopoulos. The band released quite a few EPs and splits before releasing their debut full-length studio album "A Feast of Virgin Souls" in 2011. There´s been a lineup change since the debut as Wayne Sarantopoulos has been replaced by William Wardlaw.
The music on the album is horror themed doom metal, which primarily draws influence from 70s/80s doom metal, but features a combination of clean female vocals and higher pitched aggressive distorted vocals, which isn´t a feature in the more old school part of the genre. The music features a dark occult atmosphere which is further enhanced by the lyrics. Songtitles like "Rise from the Bleeding Coffin", "Alzbeta: The Devil's Bitch", and "Dragged Through the Rotted Catacombs", tell the story better than words. In addition to the primary doom metal sound, the band also draws on thrash metal ("Cross-scalded Flesh") and traditional heavy metal ("Dragged Through the Rotted Catacombs"), so Wooden Stake is not a one-trick pony, and "A Feast of Virgin Souls" is relatively varied within the genre.
The band is pretty well playing and delivers the music in an organic fashion, which suits the material well. Lead vocalist Vanessa Nocera has a somewhat flat monotone clean vocal delivery, and her distorted vocals sound a bit processed to my ears, but it overall comes well together. It´s especially intriguing when she doubles the cleans and the distorted vocals. William Wardlaw´s guitar leads is an asset that deserves a mention too.
The sound production is relatively well sounding although if I have to mention a slight issue it would be that the drums lack an organic sound, which would have suited the material better. Upon conclusion "A Feast of Virgin Souls" is a great sophomore studio album by Wooden Stake though, and it´s obvious this is an act with great potential. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.