HOODED MENACE - Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed
Season of Mist
Finland's own grotesque death doom monsters return with this their fifth full length. Now full disclosure, I've been a huge fan since 2010's Never Cross the Dead. Therefore bias alert is in full effect. I've followed this band ever since hearing em back in the day and have the releases (yeah even the EPs and Splits) to prove it. Now with that said I was not blown away with their Darkness Drips Forth full length from 2015 or the song from their split last year with ALGOMA. Frankly I think it surprised plenty in the music media as well. But I get it, they're moving into a different direction.
On this new one HOODED MENACE has not only made major changes in their line-up but musically as well. What was hinted at on their past two releases has now come to full bloom. After a bunch of listens I'm honestly thinking that HOODED MENACE are channeling early MY DYING BRIDE. Now that's not really a bad thing since there's no teary eyed melodies to deal with here. These Finns still produce a high level of aggression in the riff and feedback of said riffs dept. Vocals are traditional deep throat-ed doom / gloom by new singer Harri Kuokkanen.
If the opener "Sempiternal Grotesqueries" doesn't tear at your heart strings with it's overwhelming melancholy than you're at a loss. You'll also miss out on some cool in-between riffage and soloing. The album is on a mission in that direction through out. Now when the band is not channeling old MY DYING BRIDE or glue-ing steps of their past, like on "Cathedral of Laybrinthine Darkness", they're channeling classic era KATATONIA. Some people might take offense but not me.
When I first listened to Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed I was not really surprised by the changes or direction. It took plenty of listens to catch their personal imprint upon all that has come before in the genre. I know there will be haters screaming for the band to stay in their early incarnation. But if you give it plenty of time then you'll get the idea. It's not a copy of the past but actually this band's re-interpretation or better yet a homage. Then again it's where they're headed in the future.
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