When I received the digital promo for Birmingham’s ALUNAH’s third offering “Awakening The Forest” and looked at the earthy-colored cover artwork, my first thoughts were “a forest, a horned god and a voice to-die-for; how much better can this get?” and I guess the first spins of the opening track “Bricket Wood Coven” didn’t leave much room for any doubts. Sure, ALUNAH’s name on the cover is a solid guarantee of Iommi-esque riffage and thicker-than-thick basslines, so I wasn’t expecting anything less than what this band is offering in the third studio release.
So yes, Sophie’s vintage, ghostly reading, David’s crushing guitar leads and Jake’s dominant drumming are present, while the latest lineup addition, Dan Burchmore on bass, seems to be the fourth ace in ALUNAH’s poker winning sleeve. And speaking about ‘winning’, just listen to the super-addictive riff of the CATHEDRAL-esque “Heavy Bough” and tell me you haven’t started foot-tapping... Plus, things get even more interesting with the rest of the songs, like the album’s self-titled track, bringing some UK Doom / Death influences on the table, carrying along an almost ANATHEMA-like (from the mid ‘90s) scent, while the guitars on “The Mask Of Herne” seem to be a true pilgrimage to Mr. Wino and Maryland’s Doom Metal scene.
I bet now you have gotten the point; the UK Doom quartet proves once more that it’s not your average Doom band, and actually shows that they got the skills and the knowledge, not only to awake an entire forest, but crush the head of every unfaithful and skeptical mind against (oc)cult female-fronted bands. Horns up, peeps, ALUNAH is back!
http://www.metalkaoz.com/album-reviews/14327-alunah-awakening-the-forest.html
So yes, Sophie’s vintage, ghostly reading, David’s crushing guitar leads and Jake’s dominant drumming are present, while the latest lineup addition, Dan Burchmore on bass, seems to be the fourth ace in ALUNAH’s poker winning sleeve. And speaking about ‘winning’, just listen to the super-addictive riff of the CATHEDRAL-esque “Heavy Bough” and tell me you haven’t started foot-tapping... Plus, things get even more interesting with the rest of the songs, like the album’s self-titled track, bringing some UK Doom / Death influences on the table, carrying along an almost ANATHEMA-like (from the mid ‘90s) scent, while the guitars on “The Mask Of Herne” seem to be a true pilgrimage to Mr. Wino and Maryland’s Doom Metal scene.
I bet now you have gotten the point; the UK Doom quartet proves once more that it’s not your average Doom band, and actually shows that they got the skills and the knowledge, not only to awake an entire forest, but crush the head of every unfaithful and skeptical mind against (oc)cult female-fronted bands. Horns up, peeps, ALUNAH is back!
http://www.metalkaoz.com/album-reviews/14327-alunah-awakening-the-forest.html
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