"Lacrima Mortis" is the second album from Dutch Doom Metal band THE 11TH HOUR. Now, I'm certainly not what you'd call a Doom Metal fan, but as you can see by my rating, I enjoyed this album a lot.

As I've already mentioned, this is only the band's second album, but it's as polished and as tight as anything else you'll hear from even the most veteran of bands. This album really creates a doomy atmosphere with its slow, chugging riffs, and Warby's vocals roaring the lyrics. But of course in this genre, slower tends to be better, and the heaviness more than makes up for the lesser tempo. The thing that struck me first about the album was that along with the slower riffs, there was also some more melodic ones, and that mixes up the album enough so that it doesn't become too repetitive, but stays true to the Doom Metal intentions. Another thing that struck me was the quality of the vocals, in the clean parts, and the growling, more raw parts. The vocals are there for more than just being something in contrast to the instruments, they really add to the songs, enhancing the atmosphere - they're almost an instrument in their own right.

The musicianship on display here is highly impressive. The guitars chug along, with brutal dexterity, the drums set the pace, and the keyboards, without making it sound too Proggy, create awesome riffs of their own. I have to admit, when I listened to "Tears Of The Bereaved", I was more than a little unnerved by the woman's distraught crying that can be heard throughout. But to be honest, it just adds to the whole experience of "Lacrima Mortis". Its little touches like this that make it a great album, rather than just a good one. I can't help but feeling that when this album was in production, they gave a heck of a lot of attention to even the smallest details, and it definitely paid off.

As I said at the beginning of this review, I'm not normally a Doom Metal fan. In fact, you could use the words 'complete novice' to describe me in relation to this genre. But this album won me over, and I was pleasantly surprised by what I heard compared to my (admittedly low) expectations. And if that doesn't persuade to at least check out this album, if you're put off by the Doom Metal label? You'd be missing out on something awesome.