ALBUM REVIEW: Gammagelu – Negative Wall

Lurching out of the United States with a smorgasbord of outlandish sci-fi concepts and a penchant for bleak, thundering soundscapes, NEGATIVE WALL are a trio that have categorically demonstrated they aren’t afraid to bury you under a pile of doom-laden rubble on debut record Gammagelu. While this approach is undeniably impressive as an opening salvo, the quality obviously has to be high for it to succeed, yet on your first few listens you would certainly be forgiven for feeling rather underwhelmed.

Opting for a lumbering, methodical pace is not exactly a new idea in the world of doom, however it’s hardly much of a crime to long for a bit more musical ingenuity during the early passages to help keep you hooked for the record as a whole. Opener Imperii Exsules (Galactic Viatores) does have flashes of interesting guitar work and some belting classic rock vocals, but as you move past the 8 minute mark there is a real case to be made that very little has happened to not only make you sit up and take notice, but to help you actually remember the track once its finished.

Hybrid Genus Serpentis slows the record down even further, however unlike its predecessor there are a lot more intriguing stylistic elements on display that come together to form a sprawling, often foreboding offering. While there’s still some way to go before NEGATIVE WALL get anywhere close to the majority of their peers, this is at least a step in the right direction. Third (and final) original track Mater Saeva falls somewhere between the first two tracks in terms of quality, with some slicing riffs at least partially helping to counteract an otherwise fairly lethargic slab of doom.

As you’d expect there are obvious nods to BLACK SABBATH and ELECTRIC WIZARD littered throughout, with the band even paying homage to the latter by covering their track Torquemada 71. As far as covers go it’s perfectly fine, but unfortunately it does find itself lacking in regards to bringing anything new to the table.

In reality this record is more akin to a small tremor as opposed to a full-blown, ground-shaking earthquake, however as a debut album it’d be very harsh indeed to completely write NEGATIVE WALL off. There’s definitely something here bubbling away beneath the surface, but it may just simply take time for this to shine through and leave any kind of lasting impact on the genre at large.

More tracks like Hybrid Genus Serpentis would certainly help, and an exploration of the darker side of the band’s sound could open up some very interesting avenues that may even lean more towards funeral doom than the stoner-fuelled southern rock on display here. For now at least this is a solid enough effort that hints more at a positive future for the band rather than having any immediate resonance, but there’s enough here to suggest that NEGATIVE WALL are potentially ones to keep your eye on over the coming years.

Rating: 5/10

Gammagelu is due for release on February 8th via Black Doomba Records.

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