Who is the mood for some awesome new U.S Epic Doom? Sign me up!   Being from Minnesota and friends of Brad Miller (Among the Serpents) I was extremely excited to hear he was assembling this group.  Come June 2021 here we are with Grief Collector’s En Delirium. I must say that recruiting Robert Lowe (Ex-Candlemass, Solitude Aeternus) to handle the vocals was the right choice and guitar Matt Johnson writes riffs that sounded like they could have come from Stockholm Sweden.

The first track “Corridors” should have you headbanging in seconds.  Guitar/bassist Matt Johnson (ex-Signs of Reign) kicks thing off with the kind of note bending and vibrato that you would want to hear from an Epic doom band.  Lowe’s presence is felt right away and from start to finish he guides you through the album like you are crossing the river Styx.  For a debut album this sounds light years beyond a debut album.  If you dig Crypt Sermon, Candlemass, or Below I cannot see why you would not dig this.

“Wintersick” is just as chaulked full of riffs as the first track.  The whole album builds momentum from song to song.   I hope that these guys can find a touring guitarist because I would love to hear these tracks in a live setting. “Our Poisonous Ways” has a Black Sabbath “Children of the Grave” vibe to it. Matt johnson has some inventive scale runs going on this one. “The Letting Go” is my favorite track on the album.  The opening riff is quite tough for a doom band and the guitar hooks work amazing with Lowe’s voice.   The riff and dual vocal part at around the two-minute mark had me stand up and shout hell yeah! “When Sanity Eludes Me” comes at the perfect part on the album and one of the most powerful tunes.

This is such a throw your horns up and bang your head along album.  I have been waiting for an album this style for a while now.  Big thumbs up on this debut.

 

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