Womb Of Decay - Descent Into Obscure Nihilism
Batu Cetin, the sole individual behind Womb Of Decay, is no stranger to metal music. Having participated in acts like Cenotaph and Bereavement, he's had his hand at multiple genres. Here, with a new project, he's trying at the funeral doom metal side of music, and succeeds well with his debut, 'Descent Into Obscure Nihilism,' but also seems to fail at the same time. For one, this is indeed funeral doom, so it's heavy. Heavy in sound and also heavy in lyrical concepts. Apparently Batu wanted to go for a more metaphysical theme with his music to heighten the atmosphere of his lengthy and depressing onslaught, so for those who are looking for a way to get lost, then this is it. Much of the music here is simple- lengthy, reptitive chords over and over with the vocals growling along with the drums in the background. It can get very boring sometimes, much like a Catacombs album. The music isn't epic like some doom metal can be and features a healthy dose of music, but when they all tend to sound the same, it doesn't make much difference. This is Womb's failure.
On the other hand, Womb does make the metaphysical elements a bit more interesting. On some tracks like "Geomagnetic Erosion Beyond the Fields of Horizontal Solar Eclipse" there is some very sci-fi, proggish keyboards at the end that really add a spacey element to the music, and break from the trance of monotony. Other tracks like "Swallowed Into the Shattered Dusk" feature bell chimes and other organic features that help make the music bearable. If there is one track where Womb of Decay succeeds in their efforts, it is the final one "Fall Into Sinister Spheres" because the include the sci-fi elements all throughout the track, and it makes a huge difference compared to the others. While the track is still repetitive, having some Halloween themed warbling going on amongst the guitars and vocals is much more satisfying than just the guitars and vocals alone. If Womb Of Decay had mixed and matched up some more music like this throughout the album, rather than just save the sci-fi bits for the end, then this probably would be a much more satisfying album. As it is, for usual funeral doom standards, 'Descent Into Obscure Nihilism' is quite a unique journey unto itself, particularly because it is a lot more cleanly produced compared to some funeral doom bands like Evoken who tend to make everything so distorted it becomes difficult to enjoy it.
On the other hand, Womb does make the metaphysical elements a bit more interesting. On some tracks like "Geomagnetic Erosion Beyond the Fields of Horizontal Solar Eclipse" there is some very sci-fi, proggish keyboards at the end that really add a spacey element to the music, and break from the trance of monotony. Other tracks like "Swallowed Into the Shattered Dusk" feature bell chimes and other organic features that help make the music bearable. If there is one track where Womb of Decay succeeds in their efforts, it is the final one "Fall Into Sinister Spheres" because the include the sci-fi elements all throughout the track, and it makes a huge difference compared to the others. While the track is still repetitive, having some Halloween themed warbling going on amongst the guitars and vocals is much more satisfying than just the guitars and vocals alone. If Womb Of Decay had mixed and matched up some more music like this throughout the album, rather than just save the sci-fi bits for the end, then this probably would be a much more satisfying album. As it is, for usual funeral doom standards, 'Descent Into Obscure Nihilism' is quite a unique journey unto itself, particularly because it is a lot more cleanly produced compared to some funeral doom bands like Evoken who tend to make everything so distorted it becomes difficult to enjoy it.
- Geomagnetic Erosion Beyond the Fields Of Horizontal Solar Eclipse
- Cyclical Sado Nature Of The Planets
- Unearthly Existence
- Massive Particle Transcendence Indepths Through Wormholes
- Minimalist Isolated Lifeform
- Swallowed Into The Shattered Dusk
- Inharmonious Frozen Sunlight Over The Cathedral Neptune
- Descent Into Obscure Nihilism
- Fall Into Sinister Spheres
Label: http://www.extreminal.com
Reviewer: Colin McNamara
Jun 7, 2011
Jun 7, 2011
Next review:
Tormenta - Tormented Souls
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