ALBUM REVIEW: Stay With Me When You’re Gone – Rise To The Sky

Sergio González Catalán is the prolific force behind solo doom metal project RISE TO THE SKY. Under this name, he has turned out a mixture of EPs and full-length albums since December 2019’s debut Moonlight. From his base in Santiago, González has also set up a boutique record label, Tragedy Productions, that caters for funeral doom, black metal and atmospheric projects. On this label, RISE TO THE SKY now deliver the sixth full-length in what has been a relatively short yet extremely productive creative career.

Stay With Me When You’re Gone represents the continued growth and expansion of the creative horizons of the solo doom project. Since the early releases González has endeavoured to produce music that encapsulates the themes of loss and grief that are key to the genre. Coupled with this are the goals of developing the quality both within the song-writing and sonic production. With the eight tracks spanning just over 40 minutes, it’s clear to see the growth and evolution being achieved, as this latest release provides a powerful atmospheric insight into the bleak emotions that captivate the doom metal genre.

Opening with A Time I Was Loved, the introductory string pads swell and with a melancholic harmony seek to lay the foundation for the overarching gloomy atmosphere. The evocative sense of grief is brought fully to bear with the delivery of the crashing drums and guitar lines, the guttural vocals delivering lines laced with the concepts of loss and nostalgia. All of this combines to form a powerful opening track and set the album on its course. The instrumentation continues to build into Deep Wound In My Heart; once again the music locks into its groove and fully expresses the essence of the atmospheric desolation the of the album. What is also delivered is intense melodic guitar work which heightens the overall impact and adds a further dynamic to the audio.

Leave Me is one of the stand out points of the album, delivering the crushing elements of death-doom with punishing blast beats and powerful gutturals. These elements are combined with a catchy lead melody that drives the main passages. With a balanced mix allowing for the nuances of the dynamics to shine through while blending the harsher elements into a weighty wall of sound, Leave Me showcases the growth that González has been seeking to achieve.

For all its notable high points, one aspect of the release that knocks it down is its accessibility. While the mix provides a fine balance throughout and the song-writing does showcase González‘s abilities, there are moments that the album misses. Some tracks bleed together and some of the dynamics get lost in the overall mix meaning that some of the subtlety of the songs is lost. This can and does lead to the album coming across as one big piece. While that is not necessarily bad, as albums work best when taken as a whole, when there is so much doom attack as in this case, some might get turned away as it becomes an impenetrable wall of sound with a heavy atmosphere.

However, what has been captured well over the eight tracks offered up is not only the emotive essence of loss and grief, but also the musical growth and development of RISE TO THE SKY. Enjoy might be the wrong world given the weight of the music, but there is something captivating that will resonate with many fans of the genre.

Rating: 6/10

Stay With Me When You’re Gone is set for release on November 18th via Tragedy Productions.

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