ALBUM REVIEW: Mass Worship – Mass Worship

Sweden is no stranger to the realms of doom metal with the likes CANDLEMASS and KATATONIA proudly flying the flag for several decades. Now comes the era of MASS WORSHIP, freshly formed in 2018 the Stockholm outfit have already gathered considerable momentum. Their self titled debut is now available via Century Media Records, what will this release bring to the table?

The droney tones of Celestial give you an indication of which direction this album is heading almost immediately. The sharp drumming feels like a hammer chipping away at your skull as a dangerous aura fills the atmosphere. The primal aggression seeps into Spiritual Destitution as corrosive vocals take hold of the track. Gritty bass lines and doom ridden grooves blend to create a vicious soundscape. Sibylline Divination sustains the ominous gloom with jabbing riff work and further caustic screams.The drum work continues to bulldoze its way through the arrangement.

The opening instances of Serene Remains emits an unsettling air of despair with echoing notes before the track begins to pick up the intensity powerfully stomping through the landscape. Whilst following a relatively linear structure the relentless ferocity interwoven with subtle meandering melodies keeps you gripped throughout. Below somehow manages to top its predecessors for the amount of evil you can cram into one track. The pulsing drumming and steady riff work combined with visceral vocal blasts exude nothing but raw unshackled anger which is simply captivating to experience.

Proleptic Decay picks up the tempo as the energy levels begin to spike. Rapid fire drumming and insatiable lead work create some of the most alluring moments Mass Worship has to offer. Dreamless Graves reinstates a more ponderous pace as barrages of doom driven savagery intend on destroying what remains of your anatomy. The instrumentation is unforgiving as it swarms you with instances of immense brutality. Downpour has no intention of losing momentum until the final second. Thunderous drumming, bludgeoning guitar work and venomous vocal pieces unite once more to ensure this release ends on a devastating high.

Whilst only clocking in at just under 28 minutes you won’t find many examples of such clinically executed fury within the catalogues of what 2019 has offered us. Mass Worship doesn’t take its eye off the ball for even a millisecond. Whilst its sole aim is to bludgeon you within an inch of your life there is still a lot of melody which is meshed within the carnage. MASS WORSHIP will definitely be grabbing a lot of attention with this release and it will be an exciting prospect to see where the future leads them.

Rating: 9/10

Mass Worship is out now via Century Media Records.

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