The doom and grit come to life in Heteropsy's newest offering, "Embalming." Heteropsy hails from Tokyo, and is the child of members of Frostvore and other Japanese death metal groups. Forming in 2020, they got to signing with Caligari Records for their newest album. The album ventures into death, depression, and everything slow and doomy. Hopefully not too slow though, as I feel songs can drag on, and I may be a victim to social media lowering my attention status. However, I'll always stick around for a new release!

The single, released September 14, is the template for Heteropsy. The riffs, the tempo, and the sluggish vocals on "Pandemonium Alter" are just dreadful. The dissonant solos are crushing, like hearing a haunting call from behind the music. The tempo does pick up, inflicting that sense of doom - no wonder the genre is called death doom metal! The vocals given by Koki Fukushima are full of rasp and growl, too. The single is just a sample of what's to come, as it is on the shorter side of tracks, being 4:46. Songs reach up to just under ten minutes here, so you should get on the edge of your seat now, just in case.

The full album was released on Halloween, and that was probably their intention, due to the scary nature of both the holiday and their project. After the eerie intro "The Dawning (Intro)," "The Sodomizer" appears - giving the plodding tempo a nice chance to rope you into it. This song is the fastest so far, and I was air-drumming throughout. The first of the longer songs is next, with "Asphyxia," clocking in at about seven minutes - the average length of the eight songs. The soaring guitars play with their feedback, while the groans just fade in and out. I'd like to thing of Koki's voice to be just another instrument in the lineup, as it is just as heavy as any tone their setup can produce. There are some black metal undertones in this song and in others, especially the pacing. Up next, and just as long is "Memento Mori," and with a song like this, I don't think I'll be forgetting that I'll be dying anytime soon. The acoustic guitar makes it's debut, and fits in perfectly with it's somber sound, creating a sound similar to some Opeth songs.

"Seventh Damnation" is up next, and when the only word I can make out is "Satan," I know I'm in the right area for these guys. The song leans more to the death metal side, where everything speeds up a bit. More of the same with the next track, "Methadone," but the calm parts are longer, and the doom really shines. It's the most lethargic we've seen Heteropsy from this album, and a definite highlight. The closing track is the longest of the bunch, reaching 9:50, and "Old Friends" uses it wisely. The song acts like a conclusion paragraph, as it recaps all of the elements from the past tracks and blends them all up into one, depressing song. This album felt like a year or two - it was slow, downtempo and just straight up crushing at times. I'm glad I had the patience to stick around for it, as it is a solid record. I may not be fully convinced to join the doom metal cult, but it was an enticing offer to say the least.