‘Tis the Month ov Doom? We’re not sure yet. But some excellent slabs of woe dropped in this short month of February. And that’s encouraging. A month that should be cold, dreary, and frozen, sublime in its desolate splendor. Fertile grounds for misery and tribulation, right?
And yet, a sickly uncanny warmth has greeted our shores this early 2024. And that might be cause more depression, too, for some at least. Add to that all the geopolitical troubles afloat these days. And there you have it: Sumpy, festering, and fertile grounds for more sorrow and melancholy. So, let us quake in the wake of all those shenanigans and see what Finnish teary despair will contribute to that.
The RMR crew sadly missed Counting Hours‘ 2020 epos The Will. The memo probably didn’t quite reach us back then that a new band arose from the ashes of Rapture. A somewhat obscure Scandinavian Doom Metal outfit that stopped transmitting way back in 2005. Obviously, the limited crowd of cognoscenti salivated over this 2020 record – a fact that didn’t escape our attention either. And thus, The Wishing Tomb properly registered over here, once it hit our review pipe with a mighty thump.
It’s funny, since the record started turning on our music machine it has been pretty much on repeat ever since. The exquisitely crafted production, Ilpo Paasela‘s solemn growls1 and clears, and the measured, yet harsh chuggery did its best to make our minds wander back to this grim piece of woe – and away from other pressing chores. And if that’s not proof of the proverbial pudding, I wonder what is.
The Wishing Tomb deftly taketh the best cuts from biggies like Paradise Lost, Insomnium, and My Dying Bride and mixes them into a sadboi amalgamation of their own. Ominously doomy Melodic Death Metal meets the tear-drenched slopes of Katatonia and the darkly gothic traits of Moonspell of times past. That’s quite a bout of fearless name-dropping, ain’t it? And this is because Counting Hours here didn’t reinvent the wheel. Instead, the band went for their own Doom Metal sound. An ebb and flow of meticulously crafted misery and sadness. Complete with harsh parts and abundant ambient excursions with enough atmosphere to bridge the gaps. And all of the above flows easily down that dark stream of tears Counting Hours so proficiently created.
The first two tracks – Unsung, Forlorn and Timeless Ones – didn’t quite connect over here. But once, Away I Flow hit our earphones, The Wishing Tomb took on some real momentum. This track is just doom virtuosity incarnate and a perfect example of Scandinavian sadboi fare. The funeral-paced majestic march through the vantablack desperation of Well of Failures took the cake, though. The RMR crew got a lot of mileage out of this track and it is arguably the album’s best cut. On the other hand, the title track didn’t quite sync with us. And this, despite the smartly executed maiden-esque acoustics from the ’90s and some thoroughly crafted atmosphere.
Unfortunately, the record is also somewhat prone to revisiting the same lick or riff a few times too many. It is of course also true that this may form part of the Soundscape ov Doom – to an extent. But some careful cuts here and there would have worked wonders to lift the quality some. In addition, the cleans – while prevalent on many a doom record – exude that awful smell of some boyband at work. Not a pretty thought, and something the RMR crew also repeatedly picked up with other doom bands.
In the end, though, The Wishing Tomb is a smartly executed doom piece. It smoothly moves in the wake of the olde masters but doesn’t really add its very own grain of salt to the fray. And yet, this ain’t a copycat and this Finnish outfit is nobody’s bitch. The record truly shines with a spotless production and a truly impressive flow. Melodies and harmonious passages float effortlessly on richly embroidered gothic and doom-laden soundwaves. The tracks’ grim airs suddenly get some much-needed backup through a neat array of Melodeath offerings out of nowhere. And – behold – Countless Hours didn’t create yet another Insomnium copy but sturdily steered this ship of theirs into their very own brand.
The record may very well turn out to be one of the best Doom Metal pieces 2024 is going to see. It is of course a bit early still, but this is one piece of well-crafted doom geekery, with a meaty, yet very measured sadboi sound. An expertly crafted album that talked to me in more ways than one and other biggies in the genre will find difficult to beat.
Let’s see at the end of the year if I was right.
Record Rating: 7/10 | Label: Ardua Music | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 23 February 2024
- Nick Holmes, why do I always hear you rumbling about backstage?-↩