Ravenheart Music (uk) Alunah Review | Awakening the Forest

For the third time, ALUNAH spread wide their mighty Doom wings: Following up their exceptional previous albums CALL OF AVERNUS (2010) and WHITE HOARHOUND (2012), the International Doom community will be tied up again by this latest offering on the mighty Napalm label. The English quartet featuring singer Sophie Day, forges forward with hard guitars, pumping heavy grooves and a sound to make fans of this genre get shall we say, rather excited. Featuring six tracks that run in at well over 40 minutes, the album kicks off how it means to go on. The opener is stoner heaven - the 8 minute plus 'Bricket Wood Coven', kinda takes me back to the early Sabbath era (but with a female vocalist this time), certainly a retrospective feel to the music here. And that is the way it carries on - next up 'Heavy Bough' maintains that similar sound, a slightly more up tempo number than the opener, but still with that 70s Sabbath feel. The doom laden title track runs in at over 7 minutes while 4th track in 'The Mask Of Herne', maintains that mid tempo sludgy texture. 'Scourge and the Kiss' and the rather nice 'The Summerland' total close on 18 minutes between them and end this trippy, stoner doom album. I am the first to admit that this cd would not normally be my cuppa tea, but it is a great piece of Doom Metal, and so it should be, didn't we invent it? The album gets released in October, so check it out.... 


8/10 (Dave)

http://www.ravenheartmusic.com/products-group-95.html