CROWNED IN EARTH

Now THIS is doom; five tracks and 35 minutes of pure traditional doom metal with songwriting guaranteed to keep the listener interested for the duration of the journey. CROWNED IN EARTH's "Visions of the Haunted" is primarily the work of one man; vocalist/guitarist/bassist/organist/arranger/lyricist Kevin Lawry (SILENT WINTER) with drumming – and rock steady, yet percussive drumming at that — courtesy of Darin McCloskey (PALE DIVINE, FALCON, ex-SINISTER REALM). Lawry swings the hammer and lands it squarely on the head of the nail here.

Seen as how "doom" as a genre has grown branches over the years, even a descriptor like "traditional" may not readily inform some fans. So let's clear that up right now. "Visions of the Haunted" is filled with gloomy riffs that stick to the ribs like glue; tempos that tend toward the slow (though not snail's pace) side, yet are broken up nicely with quicker paced sections; and enough melody to make each song memorable. In other words, the reference points are classic CATHEDRAL, CANDLEMASS, early BLACK SABBATH, and later acts formed out of inspiration from those sounds. "Visions of the Haunted" is doomed, damned, and end-times depressed; but never at the expense of gripping composition. Even Lawry's borderline off-key and only occasionally irksome vocals will grow on you like a fungus because of his very personal, very emotional, and very morbid method, as well as the frequency of lines that reach out and grab ( like "Should I just stay down? Or end this day?" from "The Sun Never Stays").

The examples of moving musical passages and smart changeups are many and usually noteworthy for the impact made. The mid-tempo groove that hits right off the bat on "The Sun Never Stays" smacks any sense of hope right off one's face when the crushing despondency of the organ-drenched downturn in tempo subsequently arrives. A similar effect occurs in reverse order during "Awaken". In between those opening and closing tracks are quick-paced, headbang-able moments ("Downward Spiral") and blissfully mournful forays into darkness ("Miles I Walk").

Though Shadow Kingdom hits the mark with more regularity than it misses in terms of releasing quality doom, cult, and trad-metal albums, "Visions of the Haunted" has that certain something that I like to hear in a doom album. It's called "soul" and makes for a more enjoyable, if hardly original, depressive experience. Keeping it to just over a half hour doesn't hurt either.