GOD UNKNOWN

GOD UNKNOWN     “Last Glimpse of Daylight”

By Dr. Abner Mality

MY DYING BRIDE and ANATHEMA are kaput, but there’s no shortage of melodic doom/death bands keeping the gloomy traditions of Yorkshire alive. GODTHRYMM and ARD come to mind and now we can add GOD UNKNOWN, a band with roots in both Sweden and the U.K., to that number.

You’ll hear the pure version of “the Peaceville sound” here. They don’t mix things up or stir the pot with anything new, they stick to the slow, mournful and heavy. Connoisseurs of the style should really enjoy this. A sparse bass driven intro “MMMMDXIV” sets a somber tone, but first track “Embraced By the Moonlight” is surprisingly powerful, propelled by insistent drumming and thick guitars. The vocals of Daniel Tjernberg are 100% death growling in the Stainthorpe/Holmes vein, with very little let up. The title track emerges as the best song here by far…the slow, elephantine riffs have a sad yet majestic feeling to them. It’s simple, but in this case, simple works best. MY DYING BRIDE themselves would be hard pressed to better this one. The length is a relatively modest 6 minutes or so, which I appreciate.

There’s a church organ interlude “Passage” leading into “Fallow Land”, which plods along in standard but effective fashion. “Stay With Me” brings the ghostly touch of female vocals and some haunting melodies to the brooding heaviness. This should have been the final track, as the outro “Frost On the Windowpane” with its monotonous riffs and whispered repetition of the track’s name is far from satisfying.

These guys generally know what they are about and can help fans of the departed gods of the past cope with their loss.

GOD UNKNOWN