Futility are an unsigned act from Australia that play an aggressive version of death/doom. For a self-released debut, this isn’t too bad but it seems amateurish in comparison to some of the other premier doom acts coming from Aussie territory.Slowly, “Failed” starts of with harmonized misery, reminiscent of early Anathema and Katatonia. With the somber cover art and the bands name I was expecting something truly embedded in the early 90’s doom, and though that is somewhat true, Futility are not as bleak as the latter.

A few songs show promise for future releases (“Saline Oasis,” and “Fallen”) with colorful intros and dynamics that set them apart from the rest of the album. The problem is once the songs get going they are simplistic and forgettable. The cover of Katatonias “Murder” is probably the best song on the record. That doesn’t say much for a six song debut. The band wears their influences on their sleeve, yet they don’t seem to hold up to the quality of their peers.

Vocally, we have a mix of Byzantine style grunts and deeper death bellows. Most of the deeper gutturals are only used in spots. In all honesty, the vocals sound forced and the singers voice sounds like it’s on the verge of cracking. The deeper gutturals definitely compliment the music better.

Most off the material here is just sub-par. For an unsigned act they have a lot of growing to do and we could hear good things from the band in the future. Even for an underground doom enthusiast like myself, Futility need some work. Check it out and judge for yourself.

[Visit the band's website]

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