With only a handful of artists to their roster (3 to be exact), Portugal’s fresh little label Major Label Industries has been delivering the goods in their first year of existence. Last year’s post-doom newcomers Process of Guilt yielded a healthy slab of death doom with loads of atmosphere and enough sparkle to keep this reviewers eyes and ears open for more. Now, with sorrow literate offshoots of other bands including Process of Guilt, Before the Rain burrows their way through thick desolate landscapes of doom that sets the bar very, very high for future Major Label Industries contributions.

I am stunned at how these Portuguese have entered the scene. Both Process of Guilt and Before the Rain ooze talent with their debuts and stay consistent in their sounds. One Less Day crawls with bleak and oppressive beauty. Reforming sounds of Mourning Beloveth, early Katatonia and October Tide, Morgion, and Officium Triste, Before the Rain captures the gray imprint of their name. This record is thick! Bordering flat out funeral doom the opening track “Wounds of Rejection” will lay out the blue prints of the wonders within this record. Prepare for an artistic purge of emotional anguish.

The music illustrated on One Day Less is quite simple when it comes to the actual instrumentation. The surprise comes as it did with Process of Guilt’s Renounce, where the albums entire atmosphere is particularly complex and rewarding. Chord progressions and over lying harmonies are thought out and give that uneasy hopeless feeling that makes a great doom record. Another added bonus to the already stellar songwriting comes with the vocals. Carlos D’augua has a mighty bottomless rasp that is just crushing but yet very audible. Clean spoken passages are very common and low held notes that make for a dreamy aura.

Major Label Industries is turning out to be the next Firebox or Candlelight. Though, they are rather unknown at this point they are positioning themselves to be a monster label, and bands like Before the Rain and Process of Guilt are giving doom a new face. I would recommend listening to both these fresh new acts and getting to know this label while they are still green.

[Visit the band's website]

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