SUICIDE SEASON is a Gothic doom metal band from the UK that formed in 2023. “Life, But In Reverse...” is their full-length debut. Their sound is dense, dark and supremely heavy. The guitars cut a wide path through the album's melancholic atmosphere. The bass and drums are rock solid, able to support all the band's weight while adding in their dimensional heaviness. The growls are really deep and throaty with a killer tone. On top of all that, their inflection allows for the growled words to be intelligible. Each of the six songs are dirges of misery, devoid of light. While each song is good, there arent many stand moments. This might be good or bad depending on your perspective but, to me, it showcases a well written album that flows well from one end to the next. I’ll go through a few of my favorites on the album.

The album opens with “Harrowing Torment,” and its dour melodies kick in not long after the clean intro. The riffs themselves are sweltering but are also tinged with Gothic atmosphere that makes the song very well balanced. Despite how pervasively dark the song is, the nearly seven minute long length passes by with ease. “Haunted Memories,” opens with a somber but sweeping atmospheric leanings and clean keys. The spoken word vocals are excellent—all the boxes for creating an engaging Gothic intro are checked off. The music rumbles along until the halfway point when another round of atmospheric tendencies hits, adding a regal quality. “Acolytes of Doom,” is another highlight—tension hits quickly, within just seconds of the opening. The drums are as frantic as doom gets and traverse around the song well. The melodic section that arrives afterwards just before the minute mark is fantastic. The trade off between clean and death grow vocal styles fits the mood of the song and reminds me much of SWALLOW THE SUN. I like how melody is used to help heighten the song’s atmosphere, working in tandem with the drums.

The final song, “Ephialtes,” is engaging from the first second with its excellent use of the lead guitar to drive the song against the grain of the guitars/bass. I normally don’t like the use of layered vocals but the cleans and growls on top of each other works for the song. All in all, “Life, But In Reverse...” is a strong debut album from a band that seems to have a bright future with their broken, dismal sound. I’ll be happy and miserable to watch them grow from here.