Black Hole Mass

From their Bandcamp page, "The Black Hole Mass ceremony contains three separate rituals. Perform them […]
December 11, 2020
DÖ - Black Hole Mass album cover

From their Bandcamp page, "The Black Hole Mass ceremony contains three separate rituals. Perform them to receive deliverance from the supreme Cosmic forces, to expand your consciousness and to experience a spiritual rebirth." The album contains three tracks. "Gravity Sacrifice" leads off the album. Slow guitar tones and drum strikes build. Spoken word also comes into play, and the soundscape is very dark. The heavy guitar riff has a phaser effect, giving an edge to the music. The vocals are harsh. Though the riff is simple and repetitive (it is Doom Metal after all), the presence that the band has while commanding them is noteworthy. Towards the end, the heavy guitar drops and it's back to the sound in the beginning.

"Plasma Psalm" is a faster moving track, still with plenty of balls. It kicks into a higher gear after the half-way mark, with an even faster pace, and is over before you know it. "Radiation Blessing" is an over-ten-minute beast. Bass guitar notes lead off the song, as drumming begins to slowly build. When the main riff drops, it is thick and choking, like you walked into a cloud of dust that just gets worse as you go along. Harsh vocals seem to work best with this style of music, in my opinion. If the low notes were any lower, they would probably not even register. The strings on Tarbuck's guitar must reverberate for minutes after each strike. Close to the half-way mark, things get a bit trippy. Bass guitar carries the riff, and things swirl in the background...things that you can hear but barely see. You reach out to grab it, and it's gone. Following this passage, guitars are back and take the track to completion.

Overall, it's somewhat difficult to rate an album based on only three tracks, but I have a firm vision for where the band wants to be with their music, and it's dark and commanding. There are also some trippy elements to enjoy, showing that the band is not a one-trick pony. Doom Metal can be very one-dimensional, but I appreciate their use of diverse sounds within the three tracks, and as I mentioned, harsh vocals really work best in this style of music, so I'm glad they used them here.

8 / 10

Excellent

Songwriting

9

Musicianship

7

Memorability

8

Production

7
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"Black Hole Mass" Track-listing:

1. Gravity Sacrifice
2. Plasma Psalm
3. Radiation Blessing

Lineup:

Deaf Hank - Bass, Vocals
Joe E. Deliverance - Drums
Tarbuck - Guitars

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