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The beginning of “Aeternum Vale” seemed to whisper in my ears this was just another plain, clinical doomy outfit in the vein of Swallow The Sun. As the album went on, my point of view began to shift towards a richer opinion of this Swedish one man band. The musical journey I´ve got on my hands starts in My Dying Bride, rubs Opeth in the guitar harmonies and inoculates some Shape Of Despair bits clearly present in the growls and some dreamy tunes. That last band is the most remarkable influence, being the clear differences the variety of tempos and the manifold guitar focus –including emotional leads which distinguish the sound of Doom:Vs-. The song lengths and patterns are very well managed and the listening is quite entertaining due to the wide range of different ambiences that doesn´t make the feeling flee. Remarkable is the balance between variety and heartfelt darkness, keeping everytime the proper despondency sentiment doom metal usually stands for. Ultra-slow passages intertwine with more dynamic landscapes adorned with charming guitars, pianos, background synths or clean vocals. Overall the songmaking is quite mature, showing it´s been quite worked on. The production is very good and crystalline, so supper´s ready for the doomsters around there! Strangely enough, the sole bandmember Johan Ericson is known for his role on gothic-esque Draconian, although the quality of this pure doom release apparently paves the way for a worthy career under the flag of Doom:Vs. From the cover art to the music itself, everything has been carried out by Johan, so the degree of commitment in this project is far serious and professional. I must say Firebox has signed a very promising act, certainly.
| Tracklist |
| 1. The Light That Would Fade |
| 2. Empire Of The Fallen |
| 3. The Faded Earth |
| 4. Oblivion Upon Us |
| 5. The Crawling Insects |
| 6. Aeternus |
: 50.10
| Buy other Doom:Vs albums |
