ALBUM REVIEW: Yoni – Caronte

Italian doom/stoner fiends CARONTE are bringing forth their third studio album this month, entitled Yoni. Bringing in elements of Shamanism in their lyrics, the band have kept this as one of their focuses throughout their first two albums, and now also Yoni. We delved into their latest offering to see what the group have to offer with Yoni.

Entering the record with Abraxas, CARONTE grab your attention almost immediately with a catchy drum beat courtesy of Mike de Chirico shortly followed by heavy, bass-heavy guitar riffs from Tony Bones. Dorian Bones’ low voice looms in the background, before shining out in its gripping manner. Full of emotion and power, his vocals are one of the most stand-out elements of this track and are consistent throughout the album. An elegant solo mid-track is an excellent break into a slower section that shows CARONTE‘s diversity in their musical style. Similar to the likes of PALLBEARER, their softer, melodic sections are enticing and soothing, and make their heavier sections all the more exciting. This is part of what makes Yoni quite special; that they pull off these transitions from heavy to softer tones so well.

Ecstasy of Hecate is immediately a totally different track to its predecessor, with a significantly more stoner feel to it. It appears that this is where CARONTE are at their strongest, particularly with regard to Dorian’s vocals as they suit this track perfectly. It’s dark, but with plenty of tempo to it to keep it somewhat energetic, which is a nice change between the slow, devastating nature of their other tracks. Promethean Cult is one such track, and arguably one of the best on the record. Other strong tracks on Yoni include Shamanic Meditation of the Bright Star, and the closing track V.I.T.R.I.O.L, which is a fantastic end to CARONTE‘s latest record.

What’s rather gripping about Yoni is how well each section of each song has been thought out and produced. Stoner/doom metal is a tricky beast to get right at the best of times, with most songs in the genre either lasting too long or becoming entirely too repetitive to keep your attention for its full duration. CARONTE do not have this issue at all, as each song is full of different sections that keep you sucked in at every moment. Some of the songs on Yoni are a little long in places and perhaps would have benefited from slightly shorter sections, however this is a minor criticism and doesn’t take away that this is indeed an incredibly strong record.

CARONTE are an example of a band that are constantly progressing and improving with each release, and Yoni is no change in that pattern. Terrifically heavy and captivating, it’s stoner/doom at its finest. CARONTE are real artists who clearly pour a lot of effort into their music, and it pays off. Close your eyes, put this record on, and immerse yourself into another world. We hope that CARONTE return again soon now their first album trilogy has closed with Yoni.

Rating: 9/10

Yoni is out now via Ván Records.

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