We said it before. 2026 is a year where Doom Metal reigns supreme. Don’t ask me why. But it just turned out that way, whether we wanted it to or not. Excellent material has already majestically meandered this way until this late in these terrible 12 months. The rest of the spectrum is large. Poetic justice, the funeralistic crime squad, lengthy storylines, an avalanche of woe descended on the RMR offices with tearful abandon.
So, late in the year, Pantheïst hit our radar. And I daresay, the bar has been set high, very high, for them. The act’s been around since 2000, and bits and pieces of information about their existence sometimes hit the RMR Office Tower. But, to date, none of their records really took our fancy. Until Uncanny Times arrived, that is. A piece named after an uncannily difficult year, we reckon.
Now, Uncanny Times is truly powerful fare, created by a band revelling in Doom Metal. But also an act that took a risk this time. A long-time male-only outfit, Pantheïst added soprano vocalist Linda Dumitru to the fray. And that most definitely had an astoundingly positive effect on the overall quality. You see, Uncanny Times dispenses powerful fare full of deathly tales. Cathedral, forceful concoctions that powerfully project a mental image of a full sermon in a crowded church with the clergy in unashamed attendance. Epic Pastoral Doom Metal, a genre coined by the folks over at Fvneral Fvkk, seems to be in full motion yet again. Only this time, it’s those majestic soundscapes that are the focus, not indecent shenanigans of the Catholic Church. And you won’t get Gregorian chants either.
Instead, a richly embroidered sound awaits the avid listener, where beautifully structured, often meaty axework replaces the usual homily, and Kostas Panagiotou‘s keys valiantly work the pews, replacing the ubiquitous raging organ. But Dumitru‘s operatic musings truly take Uncanny Times to the next level. Her powerful, crystal-clear, yet strangely mournful vocals often add an ethereal sense to the overall delivery. Panagiotou‘s visceral tit-for-tat growls and snarls come in as the harsh counterweight and a picture-perfect rendition of the Beauty and the Beast sub-theme. This creates the impression of having your ass glued to a hard bench during an hour-long lament, an agony-laden requiem pulled along by the often halting, but always perfectly adapted drum work on full display.
Interestingly, the tracklist contains a few guest musicians, using their spiel for spice. For instance, the odd duck out, Entropy, lists Ian Arkley of My Silent Wake, an old acquaintance of this zine, on lyre and dulcimer. And that’s not a bad choice by the band, given that the latter’s style kinda syncs with what we hear on Uncanny Times. Let me also point out Frank Allain, Pantheïst‘s former guitarist, for a stellar piece of axe work on track numba one, The Final Journey.
But it’s not only milk ‘n’ honey on this slow-marching journey to doom heaven. The band knows how to thread a great atmospheric doom piece, true. But, as is often the case, the record’s uncanny length and – at times – inconsistent songwriting won’t deliver those added vitamins to let an already very syrupy soundscape morph into full-blown, darkly glowing bloom. For example, the last two overly lengthy tracks, Ithaca Out of Sight and Requiem For The World, truly contain a few good moments, with almost picture-perfect doom sections. Yet the ever-returning organ-led riffs, the unwillingness to really unleash all that guitar power, and some perceived abject favoritism of Ze Mighty Keys didn’t really help matters along. And all this, despite the tasty yet exceedingly long use of spectral cello and organ. This made this section feel like an unmoored ship lost at sea without an engine.
Then, there’s the fact that you can have too much of a good thing. In the second half of Uncanny Times, the songsmiths freely overused the often extremely high-pitched female vocals. And this (almost) created a case of Linda overload at certain moments. Especially when she didn’t hit all the right notes correctly. And this made us wince more than once. Meaning, the band landed us with a powerful, meaty rendition of doom, but also one fraught with too many repetitions and – dare I say – excessive drama.
By and large, however, Uncanny Times delivered a choice cut of Doom Metal for the wicked. A dirge that would have benefited from the terrible carving knife and tighter songwriting to get to crisper planes of existence. Make no mistake, however. Pantheïst‘s newest album turned into one mother of a powerful doom record. One that resonated through the vaulted halls of our spacious, spooky basement too many times. Exactly as it should be.
Record Rating: 7/10 | Label: Argonauta Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 30 October 2026