ALBUM REVIEW: Dooms Children – Dooms Children
DOOMS CHILDREN is quite the juxtaposition. On one hand, doom is a symbol of death, destruction, or some other terrible fate. On the other hand, children represent innocence, purity and wonder. To put it simply; DOOMS CHILDREN is a representation of the ongoing battle between the light and the dark in us all. It’s also the title of Wade MacNeil’s (ALEXISONFIRE, GALLOWS) solo project. If you’re looking for a primer: it’s happy songs for sad people set to the soundtrack of the psychedelic 70s. And boy does it live up to its name.
When a punk rock icon puts out a non-punk record, it’s usually met with bated breath. But Wade MacNeil’s transition from punk-rock renegade to folksy psychedelic-rock revivalist is an exception to the rule. Complete with a cover of their calling card – the aptly titled Friend Of The Devil – the GRATEFUL DEAD’s influence can be felt throughout. Whether it’s in the campfire glow of Morningstar’s rootsy folk, the psychedelic dream montage of Skeleton Beach, or the straight-up 70s rock revival of Trip With Me, this album is a showcase of GRATEFUL DEAD love.
Artists often fall into traps of getting stuck in nostalgic mud. DOOMS CHILDREN doesn’t escape that. Having recorded the record almost completely live, it channels the rough-and-ready rawness of its 70s counterparts, but without the accidental magic that came with them. At the same time though, every inch of this album is soaked in MacNeil‘s personal struggles – every note that hits your eardrums, every lyric your brain processes is a piece of his heart and soul sent straight to you. And truthfully, that’s where DOOMS CHILDREN strikes out on its own as a solo project. When you come from a band as successful and as consistently creative as ALEXISONFIRE, you’re setting yourself up to fall short of the mark, but the heart-on-sleeve approach here does wonders.
Split between two periods – the darkest hours he’s faced and his time in rehab – DOOMS CHILDREN delves deep into the mind of the modern man dealing with addiction, death, and falling out of love. At once it oozes simplicity and hides complexity, and at all times is undeniably relatable. When MacNeil sings “everything was beautiful, and nothing hurts” on Lotus Eater, you’re sent spiralling into your own false sense of security, suspending your disbelief for a second.
On first listen, it feels like it’s overindulgent. Its 11 tracks clock in at just under an hour, and at times it feels like you’ve heard it all before – and that’s on the album, let alone the 70s soundtracks it seeks solace in. But, give it a few goes and you’ll find there’s plenty to dig into and come back for – there’s a beautiful underbelly to this record that keeps you hungry for more.
DOOMS CHILDREN, as an album and a project, is the ballad of a man battling his angels and his demons at once. And it’s all the better for it; if only more musicians could strip off their armour and bare their souls like this.
Rating: 7/10
Dooms Children is out now via via Dine Alone Records.
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