WEEPING SORES is a Death/Doom Metal band from New York City and "False Confession" is their full-length debut; they also have a self-titled EP released in 2017. I'm going to go right out and say this: "False Confession," is one of the most unique Death/Doom albums I've heard this year.  It certainly is a record whose sum is greater than the individual parts that make it up.  After all, everything has been done....and there isn't anything here taken separately that you haven't heard before.  However, it isn't what you do that matters but how you do it-the approach WEEPING SORES takes is an extreme blast of fresh air to the point that I honestly can't say there is one other band out there that sounds like them.

The opening track "Scars Whispering Secret Tongues," goes for the throat-it is just over eleven minutes in length and is immediately heavy.  There is a delicate balance between bands who mix the styles of Doom and Death but here that fine line is walked with unrelenting approach.  The quick, heavy riffs are interspersed with brief moments of sludgy melody.  Doug Moore's deep vocals dig in hard, making for moments that remind me a lot of OSDM.  Around the five-minute mark, Gina's violin comes into play and brings along with it an organic sound that fits the rest of the band like a glove.  Of course, violin is nothing to new to Doom, or Metal in general, but in most cases, it always feels like the music is written around the violin or even vice versa.  With this track, and the album as a whole, the violin truly feels like it is part of the mix and that neither it nor the Metal had to compromise to fit in with the other.

As a song this long should, the passages flow very well together.  Seamlessly, the violin gives way to a soul moving guitar solo that is as delicate as it is demanding—I don't often hear lead guitar like this in bands that are this heavy.   The Doom riffs and violin can still be heard while the drums play harshly but cleverly behind the solo.  It is a complicated mix, sure, but one that is very rewarding instead of cluttered and messy. "Song of Embers," eschews heavy in its burgeoning moments for a clean instrumentation style and a softer approach to the drums.  It sounds like the more delicate moments I would hear in Post Metal because it so expertly adds beauty to despair.  The violin soon joins, bring a long a gentle wave of soft touches that hint at the darkness approaching.  At this moment, if someone heard me playing this, they would have no idea it is a from a Death/Doom album.  I say this as the highest form of a compliment—it is a startling example of the depth and variety to be found among the six tracks.  The darkness soon arrives, however, to bring all the Death/Doom a person could want.

Steve's drums are among the many highlights of the album, as his style constantly compliments the direction of the music.  At the 5:20 mark, the Doom fades away and most bands would end the track here.  However, WEEPING SORES are clearly not most bands because they throw in a passage laden with that exceptional violin and clean guitars. Not long after, the violence returns ten-fold with a tempo and rolling riffs that would make even the heaviest Death Metal bands take notice. "Transfiguration of Flesh Into Dream," contains some of the more aggressive moments of the album, not to mention the some of the better riffs.  This track is more sulphuric than the two before it but the violin still finds its place, as do higher pitched Death shrieks.  I enjoyed those because so few Death/Doom bands just stick to those low growls so hearing something a bit more corrosive is a welcomed change of pace.  STEVE really shines on this track, giving a performance that made me question just how many arms he has.

At over halfway thru the album, "The Leech Called Shame," keeps up the momentum with a vibrant display of crushing riffs and dimly lit melodies that work together to create Death/Doom that transcends its own sub-genre while still staying true to the roots.  I was particularly impressed with the part around the 1:15 mark when the violin shines through the clouds just before the drums drop like a thunderstorm.  The song's ending further cements how compelling the band blends elements; the violin and Death shrieks/growls, despite being so different, work together to give the song an ending that feels almost classical.

Another lengthy epic, "Valediction Prayer," is next and it is a banger.  Throughout the track, random bits of aggressiveness explode while the violin handles the Doom elements with sorrowful and melancholy filled arrangements.  The middle part of the track is classic Death/Doom: slow, grinding riffs that are so heavy it feels like a black hole is opening inside your mind. Finally, we have the final track "Sinking Beneath The Waves."  Sweeping like currents themselves, the violin opens the track before unbridled fury bursts from the deep, like some unseen oceanic behemoth.  Riff after riff leads the way, their foundation supported by the drums until another violin passage recalls the songs opening moments.  Death/Doom comes afterward and it really feels like the song took all the parts of it and threw them together in the final moments for a maelstrom of a finish.  I don't want to be that reviewer that hands out perfect scores like it is candy but I honestly can't find anything wrong with this release other than it ends.  Even if you don't care for Death/Doom, this is an album that I think should be on your radar because it is just 56 minutes and 10 seconds of masterfully written Extreme Metal that can, and should, be heard by anyone into the scene.