Time Signature Washed and buried...

Genre: death-doom

The mid 90s was the heyday of death-doom metal, but there are still bands out there who combine the two radically different genres, Encoffination being one of them.

The tunes on "O' Hell, Shine In Thy Whited Sepulchres" basically draw on old school death metal riffing along the lines of mid-90s Bolt Thrower - but much more primitive, but rather than uptempo thrashy or blasting drums, Encoffination add heavy and slow doom-ladden drum beats, and, while there are more traditional doom-droning notes, and even some sludgy riffage too, the contrast between guitars and drums is pretty interesting.

The vocals are growled - or rather, they are like some thing int between a whisper and a growl and virtually indecipherable - and not very dominant in the mix, to the extent that they become a more atmospheric part of the soundscape. I must admit that I am not a big fan of the growl-whispers, as I would prefer a more powerful type of singing, but I can see how the vocals fit into the overall sound that Encoffination aim at.

The production is raw and unpolished and, while I think that this is a deliberate choice by Encoffination, it disturbs my listening experience a bit, and I would have preferred a more well defined production so the overall sound would not be so blurry.

There is plenty of atmosphere on this release though - some of which is further enhanced by the use of sound effects such as monks chanting and church bells and the like. The music itself is doomy and gloomy and fans of Bolt Thrower, early Paradise Lost and early My Dying Bride might find Encoffination's latest effort worth a listen.

(review originally posted at seaoftranquility.org)