Review by Lawrence Stillman on October 9, 2024.

Ah yes, atmospheric extreme metal—the one that gets panned a lot for throwing away what made the genre for some atmosphere that no one wanted. Despite the statement coming from black metal purists who have a history of speaking their points straight out of their anus, their statement isn't that far off from the truth. While it makes way for more accessible songwriting, it also introduces many people to the genre and prepares them for the real meat and potatoes of the genre. But death/doom does not suffer from the same problem; if anything, being atmospheric only enhances the doom-metal side of the spectrum and makes it even better, and this is coming from a person who absolutely loves the more visceral and riff-based side of death/doom like Dragged Into Sunlight or Druid Lord.

Clouds are a band from Romania (given their economic state, I was not expecting them to have a better metal scene than what I've found here in my home country of Malaysia) that plays atmospheric death/doom that has more doom than death. It is reminiscent of the Peaceville Three's approach to death/doom but Clouds has their own spin on it, namely a full-time violinist and the sheer amount of guitar effects used here to invoke a sense of atmosphere similar to post-rock/shoegaze bands. While the effects might seem excessive for this genre, oddly enough, I seem to never get tired of them, like a dish that you can keep eating that never gets boring or nauseating.

Musically, it reminds me of a very slowed-down and doomy version of An Abstract Illusion. This might sound like a massive stretch, but hear me out: both bands utilize a lot more negative space and subdued sections for their genres, along with increased usage of non-metal instruments like keyboards and violins (only the former for AAI), while not having the virtuosity that their peers possessed (hence why I compare them to AAI and not Ne Obliviscaris). Besides that, both bands have a penchant for writing depressing songs with similar lyrical themes of sadness and death. Besides the AAI comparison, I would also compare them to the Peaceville Three, as it is the closest sound I could find that fits Clouds' style of death/doom.

For the instruments, I feel that the amount of pedal/guitar effects and keyboards ended up drowning out the bass, drums, and occasionally violins. The problem is even more pronounced when the clean vocals join in since his voice is able to bury what was left of the aforementioned three instruments. For an independent band without major label support, a production of this level is actually pretty good, but unfortunately, it still hurts my enjoyment quite a bit, even when the songwriting still carried the album.

This album is a suitable album to satiate one's death/doom appetite if you want to try something new, but if you were to leave me to my own devices, I would just go visit the restaurant with Peaceville Three and Swallow The Sun on the menu, as what they offer far surpasses this album. Even the most basic atmospheric/melodic death/doom sounds good and enjoyable, and it is a testament to how the first metal subgenre is the best of them all, withstanding the test of time and copycats.

Highlights: all songs

Rating: 9 out of 10