There are many bands confused by conceptions and music. As an example, think about BLACK SABBATH’s releases “Black Sabbath”, “Paranoid” and “Master of Reality”, and then compare them with “Heaven and Hell”. The difference lies only on the sound quality, and if one could ask Tony, Ozzy, Terry and Bill if they had money enough on 1969 for a set of decent studio sessions if their early works would sound as they sound. The answer, of course, would be that they would do things in a better way (as they did from “Vol IV” onward), so don’t be confused: clean or not, things can be the same. But GRAVE KEEPER did not understand such fact, as shown on “Rays of the Emerald Sun”.

The sonority is a result of confusing music with sonority, because things were recorded, mixed and mastered in a way to be rough and poor, as Doom Metal was on its early days. But such level of filth damages the band’s music, because things are hard to be understood during all the albums. The band - a one-man band, in reality - focus its energy on a form of Doom Metal with clear Stoner Metal orientation. The band uses a simple and organic technical insight on the songs - again a reminiscence of old days of BLACK SABBATH, BLACK WIDOW and COVEN - but the music is damaged by the poor sound quality. It has potential for something better, but it’s so simple that lacks of something that can hold the attention of the fans.

There are very good ideas expressed on “Chosen One”, “End of Time”, “Sword of Life”, “Rays of the Emerald Sun”, “Bones and Steel” and “Tower”, but are muddled by the need of sounding raw to emulate an organic music. And it lacks of more variations to not be as boring as it sounds by now. It’s not that GRAVE SPEAKER isn’t a good band, but what is shown on “Rays of the Emerald Sun” is what already was shown times before, so it needs to mature a bit more.