When the mix between the slow tempos of Doom Metal with the harsh and greasy musical ambiences of Sludge Metal, this mix was extremely crude and non-commercial genre due its bitterness was extremely hard to deal with. Today, as happens with all musical genres, Doom/Sludge Metal has its legions of fans, and for them the second work of UK home-based sextet OPIUM LORD shown on "Vore" (their second album) will be extremely attractive. It shows some dissonant moments with broken tempos, and the extreme Metal nature of the band transpires on the musical arrangements. It can sound somewhat darkened, with contrast of shrieked screams with guttural voices, along the slow paced harsh instrumental parts. It's good, indeed, and will nail the fans in the heart, but for those who aren't into such musical format, it'll take some time to get used to their songs.

The production of "Vore" was conceived to fit on Doom/Sludge Metal format, but not in that putrid way that turns the listening of the music into a trial. No, it really balances in a good way the musical elements of their songs, the weight, and the rawness, but always in a comprehensible way for those that are introduced to such form of music. Their somber musical work is really good, but their best moments can be heard on "WWCD" (with a great exhibition of the contrasts between depressive cleaner parts with crude moments), the intense abrasive Groove heard on "Centurion", the crushing slow grasp of "Suture", and the harsh and darkened ambience of "Columbia".

"Vore" really shows a very good musical work, but OPIUM LORD is that kind of band that is hard for non-fans of Doom/Sludge Metal to deal with. Maybe two of three listens to it can change the initial idea...