ALBUM REVIEW: The Unbinding – Soothsayer
Irish atmospheric death doom quartet SOOTHSAYER released their debut album Echoes Of The Earth in 2021 and boy was it a tough listen. Part ambient horror soundtrack, part post-metal noise weirdness it was certainly an experience. Admittedly, one that would likely leave your brain melting out of your battered ears but that’s not always a bad thing for the doom crew at Distorted Sound HQ. Whilst innovative and terrifying in equal measure, that record was something of an endurance test, especially during some of its more extended everything-everywhere-all-at-once moments.
The harrowing atmosphere is still very much present on the band’s sophomore release The Unbinding, although opening track Eroding The Sky turns their previous work on its head somewhat by starting off as an all-out black metal assault, brimming with rage, the furious vocals of Liam Hughes combining with Gerard O’Callaghan’s relentless blast beats leaving you in absolutely no doubt that SOOTHSAYER have taken a step up since their last full-length release, both in terms of sound and musicianship. The song collapses into an eerie, atmospheric middle passage of death doom reminiscent of American act FUNERAL LEECH, before rebuilding into a speeding black metal coda. This balance in structure between horrifyingly heavy sections and gloomy, doomy atmosphere is obvious throughout the entire album and is something that was perhaps lacking on Echoes Of The Earth.
Second track Sooner Acceptance calms things down in terms of pace – at least at first – but not intensity. It builds organically from a stark, reverb-laden post-metal opening into a colossal death doom monster, with Hughes’ incredible vocal performance taking centre stage as he veers between twisted growls, pleading yells and desperate screams. Despite its huge sonic weight, there is a tangible sense of emotion running through the song which is probably unsurprising given that its lyrics explore themes of grief and loss following the death of a family member: ‘Though battered and broken down, you made it back to sacred ground’.
The band appears to have taken on board a wider range of influences since their last release too, or have at least allowed those influences to be showcased more clearly. The touches of funeral doom dotted throughout Endless Shesha provide haunting respite from the aural onslaught elsewhere, while the swinging waltz that breaks out part way through The Vine comes across like a strangely empowering march into hell that constantly sounds like its on the edge of crashing down around you but somehow manages not to. Album closer A Vague Shimmer is a thirteen minute long epic that somehow pulls together everything that has come before it into a cohesive whole: crawling funeral doom, post-metal sparseness, shape-shifting vocals, towering riffs and pummelling bass provide a monstrous, emotional ending to The Unbinding which again highlights just how far SOOTHSAYER have come.
Of course it is far from an easy listen. It is challenging, devastating, cathartic, and immensely heavy. Made up of a mere five songs, it still manages to say and do more than a lot of extreme metal bands manage across an entire career of albums. This is not something to be experienced in fits and starts though, so demanding is it of your attention. Its relentless nature may be too much for some but for fans of atmospheric death doom, this uncompromising and experimental approach is exactly where its strength lies. This is the triumphant sound of a band evolving far beyond its previous parameters and is a wonder to behold.
Rating: 9/10
The Unbinding is out now via Apocalyptic Witchcraft.
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