STRUCTURE is a new band on the scene, Formed by former OFFICIUM TRISTE guitarist Bram Bijlhout.  This self-titled EP is the debut album under this new banner. Joining him for session vocals is OFFICIUM TRISTE vocalist Pim Blankenstein.  WIth these two guys involved, one would expect a great debut full of death doom. Well, expectations have been met for this is five songs and thirty-five minutes of refined, sophisticated, Gothic melodic death doom.

Dark and brooding as it should be but layered with melodic and atmospheric moments, this EP hits the spot for this style of doom.  Apparently this album was released last June but has now been re-released in a remastered state.  I didn't hear the original so I have nothing to compare it to but this version sounds fine to me.  The mix is on point, equally balancing all the bells and whistles that come along with the sad dirges.

The opening track, "Remain Faithless," sets expectations and the tone for the rest of the album.  The song's intro is a slow atmospheric build up that is broken by distorted clouds around the 43 second mark.  These riffs are deep, massive, and as heavy as they need to be, if not more.  The tempo is, of course, slow, and allows the music to settle down like a heavy blanket: comforting in a way but very much a heavy state of mind. The lead guitar adds in a dose of Gothic melody, perfectly complemented by the riffs which are in turn backed up by the well placed drums. As the music crawls along, the song grows increasingly ominous-slow music can be urgent too and that is really exemplified here. The later half of the song is beautiful in its melodic darkness.

"Lost," has a more immediate beginning by using heat doses of melodic bass/guitar. It sounds great and reminds me much of classic Gothic doom. The deep and powerful roar of the vocals fits the heavier sections of the song but provides a good contrast with the more melodic sections. The song speeds up near the end with a fresh supply of bulldozer riffs but retains the song's melancholic mood. The next song is "And They Remembered." This song is over eleven minutes in length and is the center point of the album. The first couple minutes is a deep passage of clean tones that are somber yet tragically moving. The song's flow is optimal, the length flying by quicker than it has any right too. These eleven minutes are just filled to the brim with black serenity intertwined with crushing doom.

From around the eight and a half minute mark all the way to the end, the song becomes the epitome of all that is great with this style of doom. At this point, I realized the song should have been placed as the last track. The next two songs, while good, just can't reach the heights made by "And They Remembered." "As I Take What Is Mine," remains consistent throughout but doesn't have any real stand out moments but it does what it needs to. The ending is more ambient and minimalistic but features a ridiculously good guitar solo. The last song, "Catatonic," is a solid instrumental track that captures the feel of what came before while having an identity of its own. However, I think it would have been better served without the annoying spoken word parts.

All in all, I enjoyed my time with this strong debut. I'm definitely looking forward to what a full length debut could sound like.Purchase Link:

https://structure-doom.bandcamp.com/album/structure