Review by JD on December 1, 2011.

You know, I love it when something that sticks out of the crowd comes along and kicks me in the head, even if I end up not actually liking it. It’s the originality thing. I am so interested in seeing something that is not quite normal and yet shows talent along with it. A two man Doom/Death act hailing from San Diego CA is such an act - and is an act of being original to themselves... introducing Encoffination.

With sludgy down tuned and monumentally heavy guitars, strong pounding drums and apocalyptic vocals, this Doom/Death duo certainly hits a nasty mark. Crossing depressive drone styled Doom with a slow form of Death Metal, they cut a imposing pose and creates a impressive style that is a work of true heavy art.

Songs such as the very ponderous yet melodic 'Ritual Until Blood' seem to combine the two extremes of metal flawlessly while ascending you into their tormented world, while the impressive ten minute epic 'Annunciation Of The Viscera' turns into a masterpiece in the Sludge/Doom vein. This single song is so masterfully slow that still builds this harmonic sort of balance between the ponderous melodies and nasty riffs that carry you into the dank world they created. Excited yet?

Encoffination might not be everyone’s liking, but for many metalheads out there I think they will see the band for its brutal and intriguing talent if they take the time to listen. Hard to admit that I was not happy with the way it had been recorded in spots throughout the album, but that never took away the pleasure of hearing such talent I was hearing. This might be the one release in the Doom Metal field today that can be classified as amazing.


Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 7
Originality:9
Overall: 9

Rating: 8.6 out of 10