Gloom

Rider Of The Last Light

Finland Country of Origin: Finland
1. Bleed
3. Fuck Your Faith
4. Deep In The Ground
5. No Mercy After Sunset
6. Murder Yourself
7. By Your Own Hands
8. Rider Of The Last Light

Review by Alex on July 17, 2018.

Wooden Stake has been active in the underground metal scene since 2010. They released 2 EPs and contributed to two splits involving Druid Lord and Blizaro respectively. They are still a fairly young band but their approach to doom/death metal is one that I appreciate. Dungeon Prayers and Tombyard Serenades is not without flaws; but one can hear the burning potential of the band.

What is striking about Wooden Stake is they emphasize more on the doom aspect of the music, whereas other bands tend to favor the "death" aspect of the music. Testimony to this could be seen in the band's description on Metallum: The Metal Archives, which states, Wooden Stake is a "doom/death metal" band rather than a "death/doom metal band.

Dungeon Prayers and Tombyard Serenades begins with a poetic song "Cadaverum Caecorum Liber" in which lyrics are spoken calmly and seductively. Then comes my favorite and perhaps the best track on the album "Salem 1692" which deals with the Inquisition. It possesses a very folky guitar structure and sound; it is also here that black metal vocals and psychedelic guitar tones announce their presence. The doom metal aspect is not absent at all, the snail-like section of the song hits, but at a very late period. The catchy guitars on the track hit before and after the doomy emphasis. 

There are many rhythmic shifts throughout the album in an attempt to keep things interesting for this 45-minute journey. It is with this the problems begin to emerge. This album is filled with moments that build in melody and bluff just when you are expecting the climax. Wooden Stake does this by shifting the rhythm frequently. With this decision, they manage to keep each track diverse but within the diversity; melody, purpose and eventually interest are lost as a result of not being able to end the songs appropriately and in a timely fashion. Some songs sound like they are begging to cross the finish line but only end up dragging throughout the course of its length. it doesn't help the matter especially when the vocalist is singing extensively thus impeding the music, such as on the track "Six Feet Of Earth...And All That It Contains". Some songs such as "Skull Coven" and "Tortured Into Eternal Repose" feel like filler through and through, whilst searching for direction. They place a wet blanket over the solid start gifted by the first 2 tracks. However to my surprise the last two tracks brought out the potential of Wooden Stake. More notably the final track "Bleeding Coffin" which has a steady melodic flow and smooth transitions into doomy sections which are levitated along the path by timely and proficient guitar work. With this song, they achieve what I think they were aiming for from the onset; diversity, rhythm, flow, and memorability. Even though it is 8 minutes in length, "Bleeding Coffin" eliminates the existence of time from the listener's subconscious. Had the prior tracks been constructed in this manner the album would have had a much higher rating.

There were instances in which I felt discouraged to listen to the album thoroughly; however, I am glad that I did. Had I failed to do so I would have missed out on the grandeur of the closing moments on Dungeon Prayers and Tombyard Serenades. I enjoy the psychedelic aspect of the music, the black metal-esque vocals, the clean vocals, the rock and roll along with the catchy folk-inspired guitars. Should Wooden Stake make necessary alterations to their formula; the music they make would be blissful.

Rating: 6.9 out of 10

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Review by Felix on May 17, 2020.

Black metal is a weapon against silence, bad feelings and Corona (the hyperactive virologists will confirm this very soon). Occasionally it also puts a smile on your face. Gloom, a new entity from, of course, Finland, have song titles like 'Iron Claws of Black Metal' or 'F**k Your Faith' and these names in combination with the ultra-raw sound give rise to the assumption that we are listening to some comedians who spoof the blackest subgenre the metal world knows. But Finland is always dark, cold and suicidal and therefore we do not need to think about a parody any longer. The poet who wrote the promo tells us that "Gloom is the intersection where ugly urban despair and the madness of the woods meet". Good to know, because I would not have realized it otherwise. In my humble opinion, the band just plays classic black metal. Let's say it's Azaghal with an over-revved production and almost ridiculously abrasive vocals. Gloom are also not far away from Black Beast, to drop another name from the land of the thousand black metal bands. Either way, good nerves are necessary to listen to the eight tracks that constantly sound like a screaming vacuum cleaner gone mad.

Gloom do not start a revolution in terms of Finnish black metal. They rather walk on trodden paths, but they do it with sinister elegance. Their tradition-conscious approach makes them to be very convincing representatives of their country which is going to get more and more the globally leading position with respect to the blackest art – not only in terms of quantity. The songs are based on harshness and slightly melodic leads while developing a good flow. They do not lack coherence and only fools would complain that they fail to show a unique identity. Of course, the songs do not impress with an extra portion of individuality, but the homogeneity of the material is rather a blessing than a curse. Maybe some people permanently need formations that take an entire subgenre "to the next level" and to my big surprise I have read that this is no fault in character. Nevertheless, I do not share this ideology of constant progress. I simply miss the proof that it makes the music (or the world) better. In an era of climate change (yes, it still goes on, although the Corona virus has degraded it to a marginal note) it is all the more necessary that Finnish black metal tastes ice-cold, misanthropic and rabid.

As mentioned before, all songs point in the same direction. Only the title track at the end of the running order houses a pretty strange guitar line that sets in at 2:10. Without the background noise, it could be part of a traditional metal album. However, the inorganic, blurred mix and the bestial aura leave no doubt that one is definitely not listening to pure old school heavy metal. And so I enjoy the tremolo picking of the aforementioned 'Iron Claws of Black Metal' and it's almost dramatic profoundness. I also see no reason to f**k my faith while inhaling the eponymous track which scores with merciless guitars and dynamic outbursts. Finally, the pounding drums, the atmospheric keyboards and the stormy guitars of 'Murder Yourself' make so much sonic fun that I am not able to obey this slightly presumptuous order. Thus, if you have some time, for example because you are no virologist, epidemiologist or just a notorious swaggerer, check out this work. Make these 36 minutes a well-invested lifetime.

Rating: 7.9 out of 10

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