aglasshouse Now this is an interesting one. A two-piece Doom act calling themselves Cave of Swimmers appeared around 2012. Both members, Arturo Garcia and Guillermo Gonzalez-Perez, have dabbled in sludgy material in the past. This seems to be their first 'real' effort, and it's quite a good one.

From the artwork to the Latin influence, this album has quite a bit of sophisticated leanings. It's quite unique for what it is, as it constantly changes tempo and style on a whim. Come to think of it, "doom" is rather a restricting term, because this album can change pace with the drop of a hat, like I said before. One minute it's slow and trudging and next it's borderline thrash. Progressive is really the only word I can describe it assuredly as. It has a sort of AOR type feel to it, even with such a short overall album length (which is rather disappointing because it leaves much to the imagination). It is extremely symphonic at times, aided by the operatic vocals of Gonzalez-Perez, who I swear I have not heard a single voice like his in the metal circuit. The closest he comes is Einar Solberg, but even there's a subtle difference between the two.

Cave of Swimmer's debut is fantastic, and I'm quite eager to drop a few dollars if it rewards me with this. It's quite an enjoyable album I just happen to find while browsing the web. Just goes to show you can find anything great if you look hard enough.