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SHROUDED IN DARKNESS “11:11”
SHROUDED IN DARKNESS “11:11”
By Dr. Abner Mality
If you love the gloomy sound of old church organs pumping out lugubrious music, then you need to hear SHROUDED IN DARKNESS. If you don’t, you won’t have a prayer with “11:11”. This is doom metal smothered in the sound of organs, making the guitars an afterthought. In most heavy metal, organ and keyboard is used to enhance the guitar. Here, it’s the other way around.
The sound of this trio is certainly dreary, like a funeral in freezing rain. After an obligatory intro, we are propelled into “No Escape”...an aptly named track, as there is no escape from the repetitive riffing of this absolute dirge. The organs drive the song completely, as thin guitar pounds a simple doom riff into submission. It creates a dreary atmosphere, accentuated by grim, almost whispered vocals. I just wish there was more bass and bottom end. If the guitars had the doomy crunch of, say, SKEPTICISM or MY DYING BRIDE, the band would be unstoppable. But they don’t, so it’s up to the organ to pick up the slack.
“Cruel Winds” and “Dreams” continue on in the same fashion, but the songs are not as long and there’s a bit more energy. The sound of SHROUDED IN DARKNESS reminds me more and more of an abandoned church inhabited by ghosts. “My Every Step” and “The Lurking Devil” bring more tension and anxiety into the doom...the guitars have a choppy, nervous sound while organ and spectral vocals drone on. The album ends with the Gregorian title track, drenched in monk-like vocals and bells as well as organ. In terms of atmosphere, this may be the strongest cut of all...a great soundtrack to a funeral!
The band has created their own sound, which is no small feat these days, but I sure wish the next album increases the power of bass and guitar. Then it will be truly epic.
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