LIVID — Beneath This Shroud, The Earth Erodes (review)

LIVID — Beneath This Shroud, The Earth Erodes album cover

Album · 2017 · Doom Metal

3.5/5 · 2017-08-15
aglasshouse

Minnesotan doomsters Livid finally hoisted up their trousers after drifting around in the ethos for two years and pumped out a debut with quite the edgy title.

True to their roots, Livid makes their presence known with a short track list of only five pieces, while at the same time making said tracks long enough so that they total to a contradictingly long album. This could be owed to the 'jam' being a very important facet to doom metal culture, stretching back to bands like Saint Vitus (who employed the same technique even back in 1984). Regardless it should be obvious that Livid takes this time to exercise their power and artfully overstay their welcome to make a point of it. But such a construction has been done before; many bands also self-labeled doom metal act the exact same way, which means that an artist should, especially in modern day, tweak the minute details to stand out from their peers. The way Livid does so is to be discovered.

Beneath This Shroud, The Earth Erodes is a monster, no doubt. As aforementioned it's structured similarly to a old-school doom metal album with lo-fi production to match, the latter of which does well to put them slightly above others that fall back on cleaner, sleeker production a la Pallbearer-- maybe a throwback just sounds more genuine than a rekindling sometimes (production-wise only though, probably). Aside from that however Livid's strong point is how they present the album. Almost every track bleeds into the next, starting from the ethereal opener 'Descend'. For example, said track closes with a 5-or-so second pounding drum introduction that could have been very easily placed on the second track instead, but with this design it is clear this particular album is meant to be enjoyed in one listen, akin to a forty-five-minute long monolith. For me this is undeniably the best way to experience a doom metal album but for another this approach may seem a bit clunky, especially if you choose a track out of the lineup at random and it closes like it's leading into another, even when it's not. Regardless the one-go method works particularly well for this album, with the aforementioned 'Descend' leading you slowly into the moody entrapment of 'Nothing', which blows the previously quiet and subdued vibe completely out of the water with a large, droning epic. While of course this is a doom metal album and the songs do tend to bleed into eachother, a noticeable increase in quality is clear as it proceeds, lighting up especially with 'The Fire'. More drum fills, more caustic guitar variations-- the whole shebang. All of this propped up on the sonorous howls of Cole Benson, who utilizes the semi-operatic style that I've seen used almost always very well in bands like Cave of Swimmers, and it certainly works well here.

Though as much as Livid synthesizes their strengths from their forebears, they also do the same for their weaknesses. Contrivances litter this album, as it doesn't do much to show you any new sights that you haven't yet seen (especially if you're one at least semi-well versed in the doom genre). The debut is a throwback, sure. But there comes a time when the effect is worn out, and it feels like Livid treads that line a bit too enthusiastically. Furthermore, the art of repetition and lengthiness used on albums of old now have begun to feel a bit clunky in the modern era. Sometimes a short, punchy track is much more engaging and entertaining than a long, drawn-out humdrum of a looping guitar lead.

Talent is on display here, clearly. Livid, similar to Avatarium and plenty of other latter-day doom acts, shows promise on their first outing. It's what they'll do with the power they now wield that remains in question. Good nonetheless.