The 11th Hour – Burden of Grief
Genre: Doom
Label: Napalm Records
A Dutch/Swedish duo consisting of Ed Warby (of Gorefest, Hail of Bullets, Ayreon) and Rogga Johansson (of Edge of Sanity, Paganizer, Ribspreader), both of whom are better known for their death metal, have come together to create a doom album. The album is an entire story of a man with a terminal lung disease, and in his last days, is haunted by nightmares and must look at his troubled past, revisiting the blackest days of his life, and try to redeem himself.
A bleak concept and a half, man. A truly depressing theme, and the music it is set to is a perfect vehicle to carry it along. Ed has crafted all the music and played all the instruments, and it is some of the heaviest doom I have ever heard. Loud as fuck too, which all music should be really, but among the crushing riffs there is a beauty that tempers it, provided by haunting keyboards and Ed’s clean vocals, giving a serious sense of melancholy.
Rogga, however, helps add hardness and attack to the songs with his deep and intense growling. He helps the depression set into your very bones, as the songs drag you into a pit of misery.
A slow Metalgasmic solo at 3:55 in “Origins of Mourning”, the third track, snakes around and around and made my day upon hearing it.
Older doomers, the ones who were there at the start of My Dying Bride’s career, or Anathema’s or Paradise Lost, or even Katatonia, you’re going to love this album.
People who aren’t into doom, or haven’t heard any yet, I think this epic piece of art might be a good place to begin the journey.
Solid. Perfect. 10 out of 10.