ALBUM REVIEW: Catacombs Of Terror – Slough Of Despair

March 1, 2021 Matthew Tilt

The Slough of Despond, which the allusion SLOUGH OF DESPAIR comes from, appears in the allegorical tale The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. Into this bog, the protagonist sinks under the weight of his own sins. When it comes to death metal infused doom, it is hard to think of a more appropriate influence. Tales of terrible deeds, dragging the listener down into the sludge. Expectations are high going in. Not because of some lofty influences but because the Greek metal scene has been a hotbed for excellent releases. The hot climate seems to breed fierce, punishing music and the members of SLOUGH OF DESPAIR all have extensive backgrounds in other bands.

Unfortunately, this debut release flubs the execution. Across six tracks, and a brief outro, they trudge through each song. The pace never varies, and the production is weak. The drums are tinny and overpowering, before becoming background noise on others. The guitars and bass are muddy. Nothing feels integrated, as if you’re listening to the raw files for each instrument, without the final polish. Because of this, it’s hard to distinguish the tracks from each other. Instead, your memory jumps to certain moments. Times when everything comes together like a happy accident. There is an excellent guitar solo of Cursed Fate, there are touches of dramatic flair, with ROTTING CHRIST style melodies.

Throughout Catacombs Of Terror, these hints of inspiration stop you from writing off SLOUGH OF DESPAIR as another ASPHYX tribute, but it’s a close call. Unfortunately, it’s the vocals that come under the most scrutiny. Kostas Velnias is not a bad vocalist per se, but there is little to make him stand out in this crowded genre. His default growls are plodding, without the gravitas to hold your attention across the 42 minutes.

<a href="https://sloughofdespair.bandcamp.com/album/catacombs-of-terror">Catacombs of Terror by SLOUGH OF DESPAIR</a>

What’s weirder is that the opening track, Burial Of Sanity, is good. Nothing breath-taking, but certainly solid. Velnias shows more variation in his vocals, the guitar lines are more robust, and while the drums are still weak, they are near the back of the production. Disease Of Human Minds tries to follow this up but with diminishing returns (and with some strange audio glitching) and by Humanity’s Crucifixion, the band have found the slow lane and coast until the end.

It’s unrealistic to expect every album to bring something new to a genre but the hard truth is there is an abundance of music available, from bubblegum pop, to advert sampling, to pieces of paper crumbled in front of a microphone. The sheer choice means that while a band can offer a familiar entry into a genre, there is more expectation than ever for them to do it well. SLOUGH OF DESPAIR are lacking much of the polish and song-writing skill to stand out. The suggestions of something more interesting are here and leave the listener hopeful for future releases, but this has too many rough edges, even for a debut. Rather than being bad, Catacombs Of Terror verges on boring. Far worse, you may argue.

Rating: 4/10

Catacombs Of Despair is out now via Chaos Records and Personal Records.

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