From their EPK, "After rearing their doom-laden head from the primordial waters in 2022 with the release of "The Exuviae of Gods - Part I", MOURNFUL CONGREGATION continue the parting of the waters with "The Exuviae of Gods - Part II". Two brand new compositions, plus a brand new re-recording of 1995's "Head's Bowed", featured on their second demo tape. Continuing the thematics presented on Part I, artwork is once again handled by Karmazid, bringing the monadic into the dyadic. Thus perfecting the natural order of primordial principles..." The album has three songs.

"Heads Bowed" is the first. Slow, clean guitar tones turn distorted, followed by deep guttural vocals. The pace slows even more, until the strings of the guitars and bass reverberate. Closing in on the half-way mark, the song is stuck in proverbial mud. In Doom Metal, it's all about the crushing riffs. It picks up just a bit towards the end, and clean guitars take it to completion. "The Forbidden Abysm" is another painfully slow song. The title means "a literary or poetic term for abyss." Whatever is down there is like staring into the mirror where all the bad things you did, and all of your regrets are painted on your face and staring back at you. The twin leads are a nice addition to the sound. The vocals are so deep, they morph into whispers, and the keys are ethereal.

The lengthy "The Paling Crest" closes the album, and it's an 18-minute beast. Clean, harmonized but hopeless sounding guitars open the song. Vocals enter in clean hums that are both sad and charming, as are the lead breaks. They turn to gutturals, but the melody stays behind them. I really like the depressing sound of this song, and it drags on for what seems like days. With each passing bar, another nail is put into your coffin. Overall, this was a pleasant Doom album to listen to. There was a nice combination of clean and harsh tones to tell the tale, and by the end, you feel cleansed.