Elderseer. Never heard of them, I declare. And how could we? The band saw the light of day in 2017 and only released one first EP way back in 2018. And some five years later, the band’s debut Drown in the Shallowness lets us have a go at their kinda belated first issue.
So, let’s don our cilice and – head over to sadboi country. A new record pregnant with potent doom-laden offerings awaits our inspection, we’re told. Just let me grab the tissues and that crusty whip before we head down there. Tearful flagellation time.
The new Elderseer piece is one of those records. The quality of the offering clearly is apparent – but for some reason, it continues to be pushed further back on the review list. The unfathomable mysteries of the inner workings of da mighty RMR [dot] org. Because you see, well-chiseled doom metal right from the Academy Ov Woe greeted us off the first note. And I mean, next-level stuff that’s more Peaceville than is good for its tender beginnings. So, what took us so long to get into this record’s guts and inner workings? The band even released the piece in February during dreary time, and now spring’s here and the lazyasses over at the review desk still didn’t budge.
Well, there seems to be just one problem. Drown in the Shallowness comes with a massive 68-minute airtime. And that’s more often than not more of a burden than a blessing. Too much potential for unbridled meandering about unknown soundscapes usually won’t bode well. And this record likes its endless noodling, that’s for sure.
But once the excellent Gilded Shackles took off, the RMR crew decided to slave on with this morose and downtrodden fare. Elderseer like to write complex songs, true, but this is Doom Metal supreme from unexpected corners. And yet again, this ain’t a horde creating new things, or – dream on – break stuff and go places. One can’t get by this record without a ton of name-calling. My Dying Bride for the chocolaty parts, Paradise Lost for the tough and serious, and Celestial Season for the subtle orchestration that emerges here and there.
Fancy some examples? The aforementioned Gilded Shackles sounds like a crime Nick Holmes (Paradise Lost) might have committed. This Aesthetic Life pretty much sounds like My Dying Bride incarnate. But this ain’t no copycat here, Drown in the Shallowness showcases a stellar grip on everything doom by Elderseer. But the RMR crew here somewhat developed an unholy addiction to The World is Your Cloister. At first, you get those mourning guitar wails wafting over the ether just to have cinematic war drums1 trying to smash your eardrums. This track is pure doom death from the likes of My Silent Wake. The kind they don’t make anymore these days.
I guess, the question poses itself if there can be too much doom. And Drown in the Shallowness doesn’t really provide the right answers either. We love ourselves a goodly selection of lengthy doom tracks. But here, the relentless succession of one eerily similar tear-drenched soundscape after another for way more than an hour is a big ask. So, some constraint would have been the order of the day, but Elderseer here showed none. And I daresay, this knocked a few points off their rating.
Yet, the ranking is still sky-high for such a critique. And the reason is straightforward. Drown in the Shallowness simply is outstanding Doom and Doom Death Metal. There’s a new band on the block – and they’re violently rocking this established Ship ov Woe and Tribulation. The Peaceville folks and their soggy minions better get a move on. Or Elderseer‘s next piece will blow them out of the water, pure and simple.
Flagellate away!
Record Rating: 7/10 | Label: Meuse Music | Web: Facebook (band)
Release Date: 2 February 2023
- Braveheart comes to mind. Old and historically totally flawed, but still great action.-↩