There is something about the purity of true doom that cannot be replicated by other genres. From deepest, darkest ...erm...Barcelona (?) come Warchetype. I don't know, maybe there is something deeply depressing and upsetting about Barcelona that the locals keep secret from the general public! It's been a little while since I have had any doom to review, so it's a true pleasure to be able to give my opinions on this six track release from Spanish label Alone Records.
As “Amon Wolf” began, I was instantly reminded of Count Raven, complete with the Sabbath main riff and Osbourne-like vocals. Then everything went for a curveball. The tempo was slowed down to an absolute crawl, and the vocals began to positively growl rather than to sing. In the space of just one song, Warchetype had managed to combine the best of true doom with elements of doom/death, and then back again. The second track is an acoustic guitar piece in a mediaeval style, before the uber-cool phased and stoned sound of “Akelarre”, which to all extents and purposes sounds like The Obsessed covering a Spanish rock song. Elsewhere, the opium addled crawl of “Bastards” impresses with the aggression it crams into the song, despite lurching along at the approximate speed of a snail on downers. No one said that heavy had to be fast! “Dealing with the Devil” manages to cram some subtle Celtic Frost references into the mix, from the opening Tom G Warrior-esque “Urgh” to the very Morbid Tales tone of the guitars. Closer “Doom Brotherhood” is a hymn in more than one sense, with the thick, rich vocal tones of Iban Arrieta continuing to impress. His soulful voice works perfectly with the working class doom, almost a Spanish version of “Born Too Late”.
This then is a perfect example of an album coming from out of nowhere and knocking me on my arse. I certainly didn’t expect it to be as high quality as this; an addictive slice of downcast depression that's as cathartic as it is miserable. Do yourself a favour – join the Ancestral Cult.
http://www.myspace.com/warchetypedoombcn
