Vermont, USA based Doom Metal band LIGHTCRUSHER has re-issued their 2016 album titled “Constructed Stars of Mortared Bone.” The album has eight songs, and “Dust of Dreams” is first. The music is scary at first, followed by a doomy drone, with a mixture of clean and harsh vocals. It’s a little rough around the edges, and the clean vocals are not especially well done, but I think I understand their point. “Spire of Blood and Ruin” feature rapid drumming and rapid riffs. Harsh vocals seem to work best with the sound, but the drummer is laying on that snare too much for me.

“Children of the Dead Seed” starts slow, with more Doomy elements, and segues into a more Black Metal blueprint. The combination of these two styles of Metal have been done before, but it’s an honest effort on the part of the band. “Toblakai’s Witness” even flirts with the Death and Thrash Metal genres, because in Black Metal, their usually isn’t a discernable riff, but this song has one. The amateur quality of the music also comes out, which isn’t really an insult to Black Metal bands. “Icarium’s Path to Grim Remembrance” begins with a slow, crushing sound, and bass and guitars playing the same notes. There is also a nice combination of Doomy elements and Black Metal elements.

“The First Sword” is filthy and charred, and in a good way. Again, the drummer on the snare takes up a good deal of the sound, as does the vocalist, but the guitar and bass are fairly clear as well. The title track is the main meat of the album. It has a similar sound…that nasty combination of rapid fire with the slow burn of Doom. The clean vocals work a little better here also. “Walk Softly Weary Traveler for the Earth We Walk be Made of Souls” closes the album, in a short, two-minute instrumental without much sound. Overall, this was a decent album, but it is not winning any awards for musicianship or songwriting. The band has some talent, and this was obviously an early effort, where the amateur qualities come through strongest.