ETHEREAL TOMB is a Sludge/Doom Metal trio hailing from Canada. "When the Rivers Run Dry" it the band's sophomore release, and it has eight songs. "When the Rivers Dry" is the first proper track. The music is low, slow, heavy and depressing, while the vocals are closer to screams than gutturals. It's a statement on the affairs of men and the environment. "Born into Pain" is another slow and desperate grind. From the title of the song, there is nothing one can do when they are born into pain. "Victim Mentality" is so low in the registry, you can actually hear the guitar strings reverberating. This song is all about might and power, and the band presents it with confidence.

"Save the Man" is a dissonant grind of a simple riff that they drive right down your throat. The music is horribly depressing and combines with spoken word every now and again. "Reclamation" has a little more energy than some of the previous songs, but it settles into another desperate grind soon enough. Just when you think that the band could not go lower in the registry, they do. "Pure Radiant Energy" is a short, spoken word song, leading to the final track, "The Sufferance of Mourning." It's a 10-minute opus and has a very hopeless sound to it. They drive the riff home, until after the half-way mark, when some psychedelic effects kick in. It returns to the desperate sound through completion.

Like RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, the band often incorporates political statements into their music, which I don't mind at all. Music has long been a vehicle for this kind of thing. The statements are very depressing, as is the music, and are meant to wake up humanity to the horrors of what we are doing. Take heed, listen to the messages, and act accordingly. We only get one shot at life.