Release Date: September 10th 2023. Record Label: Black Throne Productions. Formats: Cassette/DD/Vinyl
When The Rivers Dry - Tracklisting
Face The Facts
WHen The Rivers Dry
Born Into Pain
Victim Mentality
Save The Man
Reclamation
Pure, Radiant Energy
The Sufferance Of Mourning
Members
Alexander Senum - Guitar/Vocals/Lyrics
Aidan Weatherall - Bass
Aidan H - Drums
Review:
When The Rivers Dry is the second full length album from Canadian Doom/Sludge/Stoner Metallers Ethereal Tomb who move further into the dark void that bands such as CONAN, THOU and Primitive Man permanently reside. Ethereal Tomb have carried on their harsh and hard hitting social conscience from their early releases which you can fully experience and feel on the subtle opening track of Face The Facts which offers a harsh indictment on modern day life and politics throughout the world. Tne instrumental sounds is a gloomy and simple Doom driven Acoustic track before allowing the next song to explode into a LOUD SLUDGE and FILTH ridden vortex.
Second song When The Rivers Dry runs under three minutes but Ethereal Tomb play some down-tuned CONAN inspired metallic riffage with a slight bleak distorted energy. The band add a certain downbeat Stoner groove to the mix but it's the more harsh leaning Doom/Sludge Metal sounds that allows Ethereal Tomb to play a more primal style of music which encompasses the pissed off and bleak vocal passages of lead vocalist Alexander Senum. There's a certain WEEDIAN aspect to the lyrics with the sludgy guitars reminiscent of WEEDEATER and BONGZILLA but with a more complex sounding political message.
Third song Born Into Pain opens with a slow-pounding solitary guitar that's spliced with that pissed off and almost NOLA mentality. The lyrics should be given a warning of some sort especially of those of a nervous disposition as Ethereal Tomb don't hold back for one of the most eye-opening and nihilistic tracks on the album. The music continues with that Distorted style of AMPLIFIER WORSHIP with elements of sludgy guitar and amp feedback. The song does have a frantic Hardcore Punk mentality whilst offering flashes of cool sounding bleak Stoner Metal passages.
Fourth song Victim Mentality sees Ethereal Tomb continue with the bleak downbeat moments of trippy Sludgy WEEDIAN grooves with the harsh vocals of Alexander becoming more comfortable with the bleak creative surroundings of the whole album. The music is beautifully chaotic, erratic and moves further into the brutal areas of Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal that reminds me of COUGH especially when Ethereal Tomb unleash a torrent of epic sounding instrumental sounds. The lyrics delve even further into the human psyche especially with even more twisted lyrics that the song title ultimately is named after.
Fifth song Save The Man changes the creative instrumental formula ever so slightly by adding level of swirling Psychedelic sounds but it's still business as usual with Ethereal Tomb playing their dynamically powerful and wonderfully aggressive style of Primal Metal with a despairing WEEDIAN atmosphere being played on certain stages of the track. Ethereal Tomb do allow themselves more time to experiment here for one of the standout tracks of the album.
The final three tracks of Reclamation, "Pure, Radiant Energy" and The Sufferance Of Mourning sees Ethereal Tomb become more PISSED OFF with the world mostly on Reclamation and The Sufferance Of Mourning with a lot more experimentation appearing but still allowing Ethereal Tomb to concentrate playing more of that nasty sounding music they've played throughout the album. The Sufferance Of Mourning is a ten minute epic which does have some Progressive elements to the track to stretch out their subtle grooves to a more extreme level in places.
When The Rivers Dry allows Ethereal Tomb the perfect opportunity to vent their frustrations with modern day society through a wealth of different musical means which firmly resides within the Doom, Sludge and Stoner Metal scene. The production of the record is quite grimy and violent in places but always for the right reasons which allows this to be a thrilling audio experience if you want a more bombastic style of music to be delivered through your speakers.
Ethereal Tomb have delivered an album that kicks, punches and pulverises everyone into submission who dares to listen to this wonderfully FUCKED UP and TWISTED release.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to C Squared Music for the promo.
Ethereal Tomb is available to buy now on DD/Cassette from Ethereal Tomb and Vinyl via Black Throne Productions
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