Hailing from South Australia, Doom Metal trio GRAVES FOR GODS present their debut album here for your listening pleasure. "Your path into the beyond. Through ruins of ancient ceremony. Hymns echoed off stone, beneath grey skies. Monuments to those once worshipped. Now lost like tears to the rain. Their stories revived on a platform of the Peaceville 3 and all things Doom. This is GRAVES FOR GODS."

"Firetop Mountain" opens the album. A heavy, lumbering riff opens the album, in typical Doom fashion. The vocals are unique...they are harsh, but their edgy, raspy, delivery makes it sound like they come from some ancient God. They are sharp and biting. A third of the way in, the sound drops from hopeless laments to bass notes with clean guitars. The vocals return with a deep fury, echoing from the cave high in the mountain where the God rests. "Embalmed Embrace" opens with more despondent vocals, a crushing riff, and some leads that go well with the sound. Rounding the half-way mark, the leads continue pumping out slow, somewhat melodic notes which counters the vile hopelessness of the sound.

"The Oldest Gods" opens with tense tones and some clean guitars. The vocals register as spoken words or even whispers. The main riff drops like a lead balloon, crashing into the earth with a thud that reverberates for miles. More hypnotic leads come in from there. Bass guitar notes carry the sound forward after the half-way mark, but I wish they were thicker. They could really crush the sound here and sent it over the top. "Wake" closes the album. A little more melody comes from the lead guitars, but those vocals will not allow you to enjoy them much. Approaching the half-way mark, a steady rhythm develops. Bass guitar takes over from there, with slow drum thuds and some clean guitars. There is a long fade-out until the end, as if the God can lament no more and retreats to his cave.

Overall, this was everything you would expect from a good Doom album...slow, crushing riffs, harsh, hopeless vocals and the feeling that the world is forever jaded and your end is near. The only real thing that sets it apart however is the vocal style. I haven't heard gutturals so deep or low before, save for just a few bands. If they can work on the homogeneous nature of their music, they could really be something special. As it stands however, it's just a solid release.