ALBUM REVIEW: The Sixth Storm – Count Raven
Swedish doom has always been exquisite. Spanning across all its various incarnations the Swedes have an innate ability to channel the darkness and awaken the giant simultaneously. Awakening from a 12-year slumber, doom monoliths COUNT RAVEN rise through the mists to bring you their hulking repertoire of riffs that are keeping the flame of traditional doom alive. Given the grandiose nature of the band’s compositions, The Sixth Storm is only their sixth studio album, but these doom legends have nothing left to prove. Capitalising on the tropes of their sound that helped them stand out alongside contemporaries LORD VICAR and REVEREND BIZZARE, the band’s in depth knowledge of traditional doom is once again standing on proud ceremony. Considering the 12-year wait for this album, and the previous 13-year wait between 1996’s Messiah Of Confusion and 2009’s Mammons War, getting new music from COUNT RAVEN is a special occasion.
Opening up with Blood Pope’s ominous church organ solo, there is an immediate gothic vibe to The Sixth Storm which leaves you feeling like the eccentric gentleman adorning the album’s cover, surrounded by shadows. With a distinct old school vibe that harkens back to the early days of BLACK SABBATH, mixed with the sensibilities of CANDLEMASS but with the sonic weight of an iron leviathan, there is a definitive magic to COUNT RAVEN’s latest output, offering up a series of hulking doom riffs alongside some epic and ethereal moments that are sure to touch even the darkest souls.
Even though the imperious choruses are common in the band’s back catalogue, it doesn’t make them any less rousing. Whilst the album doesn’t break the mould of doom, The Sixth Storm is still an incredibly exciting record. Dan Fondelius’s vocals always have been reminiscent of Ozzy Osbourne’s in tone, but the new album sees him explore his wide range to monumental effect. Combined with the nostalgic guitar tone and fuzzing production, The Sixth Storm is a solid, old school doom record.
Getting wrapped up in the album’s rough-round-the-edges charm is easily done, moving with every ebb and flow as Fondelius’s lyrics explore a variety of subjects such as the supernatural, the state of the world, spiritualism and even an 11-minute epic on Norse mythology named Oden. This traditional lyrical approach is one that many doom bands keep coming back to, used in dissonant harmony with the devil’s tritone and you have a traditional doom record. However, COUNT RAVEN has managed to make it sound just as eerie, spooky and dangerous as it was when the first COVEN album (Witchcraft Destroys Minds & Reaps Souls) came out in 1969.
Throughout the record, the band demonstrate their absolute mastery of doom, but two songs that stand out are the quieter ones, the epically ethereal Heaven’s Door and the sombre piano ballad Goodbye. The former illuminates the continual plight of a dying world through melancholic and solemn synth passages and the haunting lyrics sung with heartfelt sadness by Fondelius. It’s a moving song which offers a brief reflective moment and a break from the band’s doom thunder. Goodbye offers up more traditional doom subject matter, lost love through death. The slow, mournful ballad captures the pain of grief and sends the album out on an unexpectedly sorrowful note. Being able to experiment in this way will give fans a new perspective on the band, and how their unique brand of doom can also be intensely emotional.
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder” as they often say, and it is very much the case here. Overall, The Sixth Storm cements COUNT RAVEN’s status at the top of the doom metal table. Whilst they aren’t a band that are prone to clichés, most doom fans will agree, this album was definitely worth the 12-year wait.
Rating: 7/10
The Sixth Storm is set for release on October 29th via I Hate Records.
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