MP3: Skepticism - The arrival
Skepticism are Finland's undisputed champs of funeral doom. They pioneered the genre back in the early 90s and they're still leading the way today as one of the world's slowest, most heaviest bands with the release of "Alloy", quite possibly their best album yet. As always, the monstrous pipe organ takes center stage, but as their recordings have gotten better, the band has learned to balance their sound more evenly across the board. No longer are the guitars huge wash of white noise, neither are the vocals an indecipherable rumble. The drummer still refuses to employ a proper snare drum, but that's always been part of their charm. And speaking of charm, I have to say that "The arrival", the album's opening track, might be Skepticism's catchiest material yet. It's not just totally crushing, it's also incredibly melodic and daresay, uplifting in its majesty. That's the thing about funeral doom - it doesn't just wallow in misery, it revels in it. As Aleister Crowley says in "The Titanic", "A crown of thorns is still a crown!"
Skepticism - The arrival