Artist: 11th Hour
Title: Lacrima Mortis
Type: Album
Label: Napalm Records

Has it really been three years since I reviewed the debut album of The 11th Hour, “Burden of Grief” ? It would appear so, though to be honest, that time has flown. For those not in the know, this band was another of those featuring the talents of Ed Warby, and also featured the talents of Rogga Johansson, Frank Harthoorn (also of ex-Gorefest infamy), and bassist Daniel Huijben. Unlike Demiurg and Hail of Bullets, other bands featuring members of this crew, the pace is much more in keeping with their doomy peers. So how different are The 11th Hour from the hordes of doom metal being released? This is a particularly apt question given that for this release, Mr Warby decided to record all the instruments himself, with only the harsh growled vocals supplied by the bands live singer.

On the showing of “Lacrima Mortis”, the blueprint set by “Burden of Grief” has been built upon with gusto. I really enjoyed that particular album, but this has more dimensions to the sound. It features the same gnarly, grizzly guitar tone utilised by the warlike folk in Hail of Bullets, but builds upon song writing structures of an epic doom variety, complete with clean, almost Rob Lowe-like vocals, backed up with the more familiar deathly gargle we have come to expect from this gentlemen. Perhaps the greatest addition to the sound though, comes courtesy of the singular off kilter guitar sound of that made Gorefest so great. Now, I was a fan of Gorefest from their earliest days, and a large portion of that were his unmistakeable twisted guitar melodies. Added here, in a fresh context, the doom/death is lifted from the good – but generally quite similar to any host of a number of bands hailing from Russia on the Solitude Productions label – to the quite sublime. Whether that be on the fury and the introspection of “Reunion Illusion”, or the flailing limbed musical bombast of “Nothing but Pain, this is something all of its own.

The song writing is as tight as my boss when it's his time at the bar, yet sounds more powerful than Brian Blessed with his testicles on fire. Managing to keep the aggression of the buzzsaw guitar and rumbling bass, but have the clean vocals mixed so that neither overpower the other is quite a feat, and a feather in the cap for the production team. Napalm records don't tend to get these things wrong, and “Lacrima Mortis” is probably the best produced, most punchy doom metal album I have heard in many months. This really has something for everybody – whether you prefer your doom to have emotional tones, or prefer your metal with deathly bite, or even enjoy the twists and turns of the progressively minded musicians. A most excellent leap since their debut in every way.

http://www.myspace.com/11thhourdoom

Chris Davison

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