Ablaze In Hatred

Deceptive Awareness

Written by: PP on 22/12/2006 12:42:09

Doom metal has hardly ever inspired or excited me. Its slower than slow progressions and darker than dark atmospheres have just never fitted into my picture of the world, and certainly not into my music taste. But every once in a while, a band pops up and is just so damn good at what they do it's hard to not be stunned. We saw Ahab do it earlier this year with their fantastic album "The Call Of The Wretched Sea" and Saturnus with "Veronica Decides To Die", and now it's turn for Finnish Ablaze In Hatred's debut album "Deceptive Awareness".

As always in doom metal, the atmospheres are almost symphonic in nature, and you could easily imagine a whole orchestra accompanying the band while they perform their songs. As you might imagine, this causes the sound to be full of grandeur, and allows you to venture through your mind picturing the kind of landscapes their awe-inspiring songs portray.

The riffs sound confident in their progressions, and despite their slowness, indicate massive songwriting talent from a band as young as this. Vocalist Mika Ikonen uses his voice as an additional instrument much like Opeth's Mikael Åkerfeldt, which thunders and rages above all of the instruments at low range, yet with strangely oozing melody embedded to it, underlining the band's ability to understand subtle melody.

If you are able to put up with the constant doomsday atmosphere where depression and darkness dominate the sound, as in the darkly beautiful "When The Blackened Candles Shine", or in the quite literally titled "Constant Stillness", then Ablaze In Hatred is among the best doom releases this year. It's not an easy listen, but getting into it is worth the effort.

Download: When Blackened Candles Shine
For the fans of: Ahab, Saturnus
Listen: Myspace

Release date 13.11.2006
Firebox
Provided by Target ApS

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