BEDEMON — Symphony of Shadows (review)

BEDEMON — Symphony of Shadows album cover Album · 2012 · Doom Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
5/5 ·
Time Signature
Lord of desolation...

Genre: old school doom metal

A very long time in the making, but definitely worth the wait, Bedemon's first real studio album is a tour de force in authentic old school doom metal. I mean forget sludge metal. Forget stoner metal. This is the shit!

Right from the massive opener 'Saviour' - a dark and doom-laden heavy track with an epic touch -, the listener is treated to heavy riff upon heavy riff, as every song has the groove and thumping heaviness of original doom metal. Blending heavy rock and doom metal and adding a touch of creepy psychedelia, Bedemon's "Symphony of Shadows" rivals the brilliance of the likes of Trouble, Pentagram, Witchfinder General and the mighty Black Sabbath themselves.

'Saviour' is the best track on the album, for my money, but closely followed by the riff-laden doomfests that are 'Eternally Unhuman' and 'Hopeless' as well as 'Godless'. Even the uptempo rockers 'Kill You Now' and 'D.E.D.' are strangely dark and heavy, while 'The Plague' is a perfectly desolate ballad that features some of the most classic doom metal riffage ever to grace the barren surface of this lost Earth.

The production has an authentic 70s rock feel to it and is characterized by fat fuzzy guitars and a central bass, that has the same bottom-rich sound as Geezer butler's bass, but with more of an edge because Bedemon's Mike Matthews uses a pick.

The listener is treated to a heavy bass, heavy and bluesy guitar solos and rock steady drumbeats on "Symphony of Shadows" which is a very likely candidate for doom metal album of the year. It's one of those "Fuck yeah"-albums!
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UMUR wrote:
more than 2 years ago
I have to check out this album. Love the cover artwork too :-)

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