ALBUM REVIEW: Day Of Doom Live – Elephant Tree

For those who like their stoner doom served with a slice of grunge and a chaser of psychedelia, London four-piece ELEPHANT TREE bring the goods. Deciding to focus on their back catalogue, rather than 2020’s excellent Habits, the band groove their way through seven tracks of headbanging, heavy metal goodness on Day of Doom Live.

Far from one-trick ponies, each song shows a wealth of influences as the band move from mid-paced riffing to electronic loops and brilliant guitar solos. In Suffering shows the band at their most tonally flexible, with guttural roars replacing the harmonised vocals and chugging guitar work laying the foundations before it slips away into a growing chant that paves the way for a pummelling climax.

Attack Of The Altaica is an eight-minute epic, that holds steady with some BLACK SABBATH worship before introducing heavy distortion and effects, that work around the structure of the song before it comes to a dead stop. A brief, gentle interlude breaks the tension and the band ask: “Are you ready to bang your heads?” “Yes,” the room cheers. And ELEPHANT TREE deliver with a bruising example of their doom credentials. It’s heavy and bluesy, and the perfect end to a fun set.

Except it’s not the end. A surprise in-studio recording of Circles, from their 2016 self-titled album, closes the event. It’s a calm and beautiful track, one that shows that these guys are as capable with a sweet melody as they are with riffs. You could argue that it might have worked better as an introduction to the live set – the contrast between this and the opening of Aphotic Blues would have been incredible – but it’s a nice showcase of the band’s range.

Rating: 7/10

Day Of Doom is out now via Magnetic Eye Records.

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