Review of Officium Triste - Reason

I think I know what bothers me about Doom. I think it’s that it’s a great idea, and when done correctly can be extremely effective - as a counterpoint in an album filled with faster, livelier music. But as a stand alone style, one song is all I can really take. I simply lose interest. And you figure most doom songs are like elevntybillion minutes long, that is a fuck of a lot of space for me to not be interested.

That being said, Officium Triste's Reason, taken one song at a time is pretty damned good. They capture the grandeur and scope of the form as well as anyone I have heard. Slow movements and melodies and grumbling vocals, a touch of symphonic keyboards. Lots of space for the imagination to roam. And, you know, depression. Lots of depression.

The guitars are good-n-thick, echo-y and simple. The drums aren’t reinventing the wheel, but they do the job. Overall the music has a good crunch juxtaposed with simple, compelling melodies.

But as I said before, a whole fucking record of this stuff is just too much. These songs would kill on a record with faster compositions - Hypocrisy’s best stuff springs to mind. But slow song after slow song never really delivers any impact apart from the general interest in the melodies. Emotionally I just think there needs to be more at work.

This is a good album, especially for fans of heavier Doom. For metal fans in general, this may be a decent changeup on a multi disc system with “random” on and Morbid Angel or Immortal as the other discs… it’s well written, well produced and well executed. But in the end it is a one trick pony. I can recommend it but just barely.

Release Details

Officium Triste

Reason

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