Amaurot - …to Tread the Ancient Waters

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“…To Tread The Ancient Waters” is AMAUROT’s first full-length album. AMAUROT plays gothic doom metal with slow, hard-hitting riffs and a mixture of clean and growled vocals. Peter Svensson’s keyboard work also features prominently on this album.

The first track, “Aether Child,” starts with a straightforward gothic metal riff. Then Lisa Rieger alternates between singing clean high notes and whispers that have a chilling effect. Once the song gets going, Rieger switches to growled vocals that sound a lot like Rachl Quinn from the band GRAVESHADOW. In addition to the fantastic vocals, Peter Svensson plays a lead solo with tremolos that work surprisingly well in this gothic doom environment.

“Starless Sky” is a fast-paced song with masterful drumming by Thomas Hedlund. He even adds in a surprising blast beat that works exceptionally well for it to be part of a gothic doom metal song. Magnus Hultman’s bass is also expertly showcased. Usually, the bass guitar sound hangs back and complements the drums. In this case, the bass has several moments to shine. Lisa Rieger’s clean and growled vocals are equally as effective.

On the other hand, “Ritual” is a slower, more deliberately paced track. In this case, Rieger’s clean vocals sound similar to those of Elina Siirala from LEAVES’ EYES. Her growled vocals resemble Rachl “Raxx” Quinn of GRAVESHADOW fame. This combination is simply magical. “Ritual” is the most well-written track on the album. The emotion conveyed is palpable. Peter Svensson’s keyboard solo is also not to be missed.

“To Tread The Ancient Waters” is mostly doom metal with just a dash of gothic aesthetic. The balance between Rieger’s two vocal styles is perfectly orchestrated here. The main riff stands out as well. In fact, Svensson’s riffing and lead solo are definitely worth mentioning. The contrast between the guitar work and high-pitched keyboard notes makes this song stand out.

The final track on this album, “Phoenician Ashes,” caps things off nicely. It’s another slower track with some nice builds. There are choral voices singing high notes, both male and female spoken parts, and Rieger’s growls and cleans. All of those characteristics and more serve to tie the whole album together just nicely.

With “…To Tread The Ancient Waters,” there isn’t a single note out of place. This album has the potential to convert fans of other metal subgenres. It certainly rings true for this doom-metal fan. I love the interplay between the vocals and instrumentation. The songwriting is expertly done, and every instrument and vocal element works well in the scope of each song and the album proper.

Songwriting: 10
Musicianship: 10
Memorability: 10
Production: 10