I am not a real top fan of Doom Metal, but I do like my share of doom and gloom coming through my ears from time to time. That was the main reason for me to choose to review the new PILGRIMAGE album “From Amber To Sun”. We are talking about a Dutch band from The Hague, that have been active since 2018 and before today already released the single “Voyage To The End Of Time” in 2019 and their debut album “Sigil Of The Pilgrim Sun” in 2021, making “From Amber To Sun” their sophomore album. What makes PILGRIMAGE a little bit different from other Doom Metal bands is that they do incorporate Death Metal into their music as well. Okay, maybe that’s not unique, but it does help when you wish to identify them at their own right.

On “From Amber To Sun” the band has just over 48 minutes, divided over eight songs, to make you take notice. And musically the band have it all thought out. The songs are all on a proper level, have just the right elements to be called Doom Metal, but also offer enough variety to prevent you from feeling that you are constantly listening to the same song over and over. I just wish that the songs had a bit more oomph, would have been a little more adventurous. That would have really made them stand out in between all the releases that are available at the moment. I can’t find any fault in what PILGRIMAGE does musically, but I also can’t find anything that really excites me on “From Amber To Sun”.

As for the vocals, there are three sorts being used. Number one is the grunt/growl, and that one is more than adequate, fits into the music nicely and adds to the suspense that is being portrayed. The second one are the female vocals, and when and where they are being brought into the mix they also feel as natural as can be. The third one are the (almost) spoken clean vocals, they for me they are what is bringing the whole experience of “From Amber To Sun” down. It might be me, but I find them rather bland and dare I say lacklustre, and that is a real pity. Like I mentioned before, musically PILGRIMAGE know what they are doing, but they need to step up and enhance the clean vocals, or ditch them in their entirety. It would have made the listening experience of “From Amber To Sun” a lot more pleasant.