Special Features/Formats:
- Green vinyl (Limited Edition)
- CD
Tracklisting:
Side A
- Malevolent Path
- Endless Cave
- Hiss of the Witch
- Emperor of Shame
Side B
- Wolfcourse
- Forest of the Damned
- Mountain Legacy
Release Date: September 28, 2017
Label: Heavy Psych Sounds Records
Origin: Italy
If you’re looking for the kind of crushing, heavier-than-heavy doom that only the most brutal of doom-inspired, European sludge bands can write, look no further than Deadsmoke. The Italian band just released their second album, Mountain Legacy, and the hypnotic, almost dirge-like quality of the record is captivating those who are fans of the genre with a touch of death and destruction.
In addition to their signature heaviness, Deadsmoke capture an intentional psychedelic vibe with their most recent record. Building off of the roots they laid with their first album, the group has honed their sound with this release and tapped even more into their synthetic capabilities. But rather than take things in a happier direction, the psych tinges only serve to highlight the overarching themes of isolation on the record. The synth layers serve to give this album a surreal quality; rather than mire itself in dark riffs, it conveys an entire mood and the overall feeling of solitude.
The record starts off at a slow and steady pace with “Malevolent Path,’ and gradually crescendos as the record continues, hitting its high point with the epic second-to-last track, “Forest of the Damned.” “Hiss of the Witch” is probably the spookiest song on the record, as well as the most reminiscent of classic European funeral doom. “Wolfcurse” may just be the coolest name on the album, with intense riffs to match.
Recorded live in an Italian studio located by an isolated cemetery, Mountain Legacy captures the true feeling of isolation and solitude, and does so with a multitude of slow and introspective riffs, smartly-layered synth patterns and etherial vocals. If you’re a fan of impossibly heavy doom, then check out this record.
- Addison Herron-Wheeler
https://newnoisemagazine.com