PANTHEIST
"O
Solitude" (Firebox Records; 2003)
Reviewed by Christopher J. Kelter
Pantheist is a Belgian band that plays funeral gothic doom - and from the sound of "O Solitude" Pantheist does it quite well.
Doom, by its very nature, almost makes itself unbearably hard to listen to simply by failing to keep the listener engaged in the absence of speedy tempos. However, this is not the case with Pantheist's "O Solitude." "O Solitude" is slow, heavy, and morose, but with the ability to capture the listener from the first second to the last. Fortunately, Pantheist injects guitar-heavy parts with the requisite metallic riffing to lend some well-placed aggression to the proceedings. "O Solitude" is doomy yet dynamic - that's an impressive combination.
Pantheism is a philosophy that holds that God and nature are one and the same. Funeral doom is the perfect soundtrack to the pantheist philosophy as it evokes the slow, but steady, change of nature with a few dramatic spikes in evolutionary progress. On "O Solitude" the sound matches nature very well: the keyboards are lush, but not too pretty; the guitars are crushing, but not too overwhelming; the bass and drums are patient, but not lacking energy; and the vocals are rough without being irritating.
Fans of the band should note that two of the five tracks on "O Solitude" appeared on their first full-length effort "1000 Years."
Finally, it must be noted that fans of doom metal should seek out Pantheist's "O Solitude" - it will be a good addition to your collection.
"O Solitude" was produced by Kris Belaen. The sound and production are great and both elements play a very important part in the overall impact of the disc.
Pantheist is Kostas on vocals and keyboards, Nicolas on guitars and spoken word, Frederic on bass, and Oscar on drums. Stijn of Until Death Overtakes Me contributes vocals.
For more information visit http://www.doom-metal.com/pantheist/.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2003 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised:
11 Nov 2024 11:53:40 -0500.
