Doomraiser - Erasing The Remembrance

Italy's "Doomraiser" first came on the scene back in 2004 with the demo "Heavy Drunken Doom". At the time it was a little hard to see them as serious contenders for any sort of Doom Throne because their image as a bunch of drunken Metal Heads. Man,have times changed because this album delivers the goods in every department. This is my kind of Doom Metal rock, they take all the best elements from the Maryland Doom Scene and mix it up with sounds ranging from Sabbath, Captain Beyond and other underground 70's proto Metal to guitar riffs and musical passages that remind me of early "Celtic Frost".  Although there is nothing original about what they do, what they do is some infectious and full of so much groove. Its a real talent and strength to put together 7, 9, 10 and even 15 minute tracks and not once does it seem the tunes are long. They are structured with just the right amount of tempo and mood changes that nothing outstays its welcome. There is no low points to this release and highlights are plenty including "Another Black Day" that has one of the coolest mid-tempo headbanging sections heard in a long time. "The Raven" and album closer "Rotten River" just reek of pure classic Doom with some unforgettable passages that are instantly accessible to mind of a Doom Metal fan like myself. Even the 15 minute "Vanitas" has so many twists and turns it never seems like 15 minutes has even passed by the end of this masterpiece. They released their first album "Lords Of Mercy" a couple of years back and while that was a good release, this really blows it out of the water. There is so many moods on here, reflective, aggression and even sometimes somber the arrangements are beautifully put together. This is  engaging and convincing, thanks mostly to a mature songwriting and  excellent production. Like i mentioned before most of this sounds like a Maryland Doom Act and bands like "Orodruin" and "Blood Farmers" spring to mind while listening to this but "Doomraiser" have got their place in the top of the Doom Metal pile and with a album as good as this it seems they will be there for a long time. Also i must mention this is available on a 2 LP set with bonus tracks. This is a essential purchase.

1. Pachidermic Ritual (intro)
2. Another Black Day Under the Dead Sun
3. The Raven
4. C.O.V. (Oblivion)
5. Vanitas
6. Head of the River (intro)
7. Rotten River - Pt I: The River - Pt II: On the First Day of the New Dark Year for the World
Bloodrock Records
Reviewer: Ed
Sep 30, 2009
Next review: Ol Scratch - The Sunless Citadel

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