Time Signature Act of faith...

Genre: doom metal

While I like most of the subgenres that doom metal has developed into, I do have a weak sport for old school, traditional doom metal - the doom metal subgenre that bears most resemblance with traditional heavy metal. And, if anything, In Aevum Agere's "The Shadow Tower" is the epitome of old school, traditional doom metal.

Evolving around heavy beats and doom-ladden riffs, the tracks on the album are crushing, but never really slow, and thus they should actually be appreciable by fans of heavy metal who do not necessarily like doom metal. Not only that, amidst the doom heaviness, In Aevum Agere insert several aggressive and uptempo passages, some of which have a dark power metal feel to them.

But the core style is traditional doom metal, and In Aevum Agere do it excellently, featuring rocky guitar solos and nearly reaching the level of brilliance associated with the likes of Candlemass and Solitude Aeturnus. While incorporating the same level of epicness of neither legendary act, In Aevum Agere nonetheless do have their epic moments on "The Dark Tower", and I actually quite like how they do not go overboard in epicness, instead focusing on the crunch of distorted guitars and heavy riffage.

Definitely able to rival many classic traditional doom metal releases, In Aevum Agere's "The Shadow Tower" should appeal to fans of Solitude Aeturnus, Candlemass, Procession, Altar of Oblivion and the like. Old school doomsters, check it out!