Europe has long been a staple of metal music for the world, and while some countries and regions may be known for certain genres or styles Europe as a whole hardly discriminates in the kind of music its denizens provide us, and it hasn't failed to do the same service yet again. PŸLON is a doom metal band hailing from Switzerland whose most recent release, "A Lament" can best be described as a melodic work of art. Intermittent displays of technical skills mixed with strong riffs, great tempos and beats, and overall great and melancholic tunes makes "A Lament" a gem of doom metal that I'd highly recommend to anyone who has any like for the genre.

Beginning with "Cosmik Lizard", it would be hard to ask for a better opening song. It's slow of course but with great riffs, great use of union between guitar and bass riffs, great gutturals from Reto Hardmeier, an overall amazing sound and tempo to the song, and an overall great job by the band as a whole, I really can't think of any complaints for this song. It is very much easy to get lost in this song with the slow melodic tune throughout it all. "The Day After The War" by comparison is a bit more direct in its tune, largely due to the technical solos that are more prominently featured in the song. When it comes to "Pantodynamos" you get a bit of both. Great guitar work that is both fast at some parts and slow at others, but the part where the guitar is most focused is where I give the most praise. There is an overall good beat but nothing special, and the guitar riffs are what make the song stand out for me personally. One song worth mentioning is "The Lone Rider". I say that because of the oddness of this song. It has a very melodic guitar solo that is easy to love, however it is hard to explain why but this song is something I want to say is great but something holds me back. It seems lies in the riffs throughout the rest of the song. It is by no means a bad song, it is really good. However, a couple notes here and there make it feel slightly off. Regardless, it is still a very good song, slow and gradual as it is by comparison to the rest of the album with a very strong guitar solos, but it is just shy of being great in my mind, and shy of being one of my favorites.

I must say, this is an overall great Doom metal album. One thing people might find a bit off putting is Matt Brand's vocals, which are a bit high and nasally. It can go very well with some parts, but it can very easily take some getting used to and it might push people away from this band slightly. However, the guitar riffs, the synchronicity of the bass and rhythm guitar, the great drum beats, and overall great songs are something I would highly recommend to anyone, and I for one would love to see what this band has in store for their next album as it seems things are still uphill for them.