Failure of Life
Doomcult
From Bandcamp, "The inglorious DOOMCULT returns with their third full-length album to celebrate the greatness of doom. It is the first album to feature the deep growls by Rens van Herpt. The album is built around Atmospheric 90's Doom/Death, but also has some traditional Doom Metal influences, Funeral Doom parts and some Sludge." The album has seven songs, and "Fall" is the first. The vocals are filthy, and the slow drudge of Doom Metal is afoot. Shouts break in as well. The pace quickens for just a bit, and then slows again. "Serpent" has a little bit more going on in the guitars, as well as some melody. Deep vocal growls combine with more shouts once again. The deep growl guest vocalist really adds to the sound here, and I love Doom with gutturals.
"Align" begins with clean guitars and some tense tones. The distorted riffs are heavy, but a bit on the simple side. Although this is common in the Doom genre, a little thicker riffing would go a long way. "Genesis Undone" is another lengthy song that dabbles in the swamp. It almost as if you are watching a creature being made from mud. It's a slow process to get done the right way. The vocals are shared again between angry shouts and horrid gutturals, and the guitar work has some nice harmonies. "Failure" is even slower and more desperate sounding, as the title suggests. This is how you feel when you fail at life in general, and this song is what that sounds like.
"Prophecy" is the shortest on the album, at five-minutes long. It has a swifter pace, and more intricate guitar work, at first, but the slow down comes as it should. The beastly "The Final Ride of Death (Bloodline 2023)" closes the album, and it's 13 minutes long. I am not sure if Death is represented by one of the four horseman, or if the reference is literal. He rides slowly, and deliberately, taking his time reaching his intended victims. But he will get them all. Overall, this was a solid album that didn't generate a ton of excitement but that's the genre. It has all of the elements you would expect from Doom, and the guest vocalist added a lot to their sound.
7 / 10
Good
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Failure of Life" Track-listing:
1. Fall
2. Serpent
3. Align
4. Genesis Undone
5. Failure
6. Prophecy
7. The Final Ride of Death (Bloodline 2023)
Doomcult Lineup:
J.G. Arts - All Music, Vocals
Rens van Herpt - Vocals
More results...