END OF LEVEL BOSS
Inside the Difference Engine
(Exile On Mainstream)

ISOLE
Bliss of Solitude
(Napalm)

ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE
& THE MELTING PARAISO U.F.O
Nam Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo
(Ace Fu)

O'DEATH
Head Home
(Ernest Jenning)

TRAP THEM
Seance Prime
(Deathwish)

DYSRHYTHMIA/ROTHKO
Fractures 

(Acerbic Noise Development)

THE FIRE THE FLOOD
Truth Seekers

(No Sleep)

MORE REVIEWS

I know I complain a lot about drums sounding too thin, too hollow or too much like shit so I am starting to question my own judgment. I don’t recall which group’s latest effort I hailed as ‘great had it not been for the shit-like sounding drums’.  Anyway, I was driving the other day while listening to my Ipod on shuffle when a song by such group came on and it all just sounded fine to me. Sweden’s Isole’s latest doom album sounds a OK; the drums seem to have not only the perfect mix but also the perfect weight in contrast to the guitars and the vocals. Except there is a quiet passage during the eight minute opener “By Blood” during which the drums are brought center stage. During those two minutes or so, the drums acquire this skeletical form that is just a bit too light weight for the type of doom this ambitious band makes.

No more complains on this front. Isole (who initially went by the moniker of Forlorn) has been together for about seventeen years and Bliss of Solitude is only their fourth release.  Such slow approach to songwriting can also denote dedication and the space between releases guarantees that every time we get served, the portions are plentiful. Like most doom, Isole’s brand of metal is somewhat depressing, except that the clean vocals of Daniel are crystal clear and equal somberness only when paired to a very sad melody. In other occasions, they actually lift the song from mere morose to simply depressing. Also, like most quality doom Bliss of Solitude is minimalistic, and it makes the best of what it has to offer and through its limited (not by quality but by riff quantity) guitars and forsaken landscapes draws austere feelings. That is sort of the point, isn't it?

Official Site