It has been a while since I last came across a release from my 'beloved' Finnish label Firebox. Not only I didn't like most of this label's releases, but I have faced 1-2 albums that are definitely into my top 5 worst album ever list. I still have a post traumatic shock from that TYRANNY album.
So, as you probably know, this label specializes in Doom/Death Metal and this kind of music in general. The weird thing is that MAR DE GRISES hail from Santiago, Chile, a place you wouldn't expect to find such music. Latin America is mostly known for its extreme bands. Anyway, this is the band's second full-length work and I hope it won't be like what I have faced before…
MAR DE GRISES, which means oceans of grief or something like that, is all about this whiny Doom/Death Metal I was talking about. You know, heavy guitars, melodic keyboards, slow tempo and deep brutal vocals. Even though I am not what you would call a fan of this sound, I can say that these guys seem to have done a great job. I mean, when I tried to listen to the album and become as objective as possible, I realized that fans of the specific genre will be more than happy to lay their hands on Draining The Waterheart. Yeah, the lyrics are all about sorrow, melancholy and such stuff, but what the fuck? That's what this music is all about.
While listening to the album, I found some similarities to bands like OFFICIUM TRISTE, MOURNING BELOVETH and old ANATHEMA and I guess that's what doom/death metallers like to hear. Yeah, you'll probably say that I am not the most appropriate person to review this album, but let's not forget I did my best!
Tracklist:
Sleep Just One Dawn Kilometros De Nada Deep-Seeded Hope Avant-Garde Fantasia Wooden Woodpecker Conversion One Possessed Summon Me Liturgia: Convite Y Prefiguracion/Purgatorio/Dialogo Inferno