ALBUM REVIEW: Druid Lord – Grotesque Offerings

Here is my very belated review of the latest album from DRUID LORD, amazing Death Doom release via Hells Headbangers! This review will be slightly shorter as it is the first of 2 which I missed earlier in the year. Despite me being late to the party, that is no indication on the music quality. Both releases are phenomenal!

1. House of Dripping Gore opens the album beautifully. The sludgy riffs are absolutely monstrous, the monolithic drums pound away and the growled vocals are so moody. The lead melodies are pristine and gorgeous to listen to. Everything about this opening track is just perfect Death-Doom. Amazing opener!
2. Night Gallery continues the maddeningly sombre, melancholic yet tranquil assault of brutality so fluidly. Everything about this from the obviously fantastic music, the great production, awesome visuals and songwriting is absolutely crushing. The track is full of soul and barbarically beautiful. This music can only be truly described as epic, in every way!
3. Spells of the Necromancer features ambient instrumentals and stunning lead guitar work. A classy little break in the catatonically heavy assault!
4. Evil That Haunts This Ground kicks the Candlemass influenced riffing mania in with full throttle. While there may not be speed in the tempo, this is furiously drudging and each note of each instrument hits with so much force, especially after the short drum solo / build up. The marching groove of the track works beautifully with the precise, grinding riffs. The faster sections later in the track are both menacing yet also quite laid back somehow. The sense of songwriting is wonderful. Absolutely epic song !
5. Black Candle Seance is discordant, macabre and absolutely gorgeously written. With head stomping melodies and riffs that drag an eternity, sick drumming and tormented vocals, this track really kicks your teeth in. Perfectly combined Death and Doom Metal! The ending is Sabbath riff worship, gorgeous and untampered with. Also the lyrics of this track (as well as the others, in fairness) are absolutely killer.
6. Creature Feature has a more old school approach to it than the other songs. The use of slow tremolo picking sounds gorgeous and the song flows with such heaviness I am lost for words. The pace leaves you unable to move, drawn into the album further and further with a catatonic response physically and mentally from the devastatingly gruesome music. Amazing work, yet again!
7. Into the Crypts is the 2nd interval, this time taking acoustic guitars as their weapon of choice in creating an eerie break from the album. The electric guitars creep in, with ghastly notes filling the listener with a pure dread. Lovely use of harmonies too!
8. Murderous Mr. Hyde is my favourite Druid Lord track, ever. The crushingly nasty Doom Metal sections are just unrelenting and destroying, with so much atmosphere, which is added to by the Horror sampling. There is also a great amount of Death Metal influence, added with perfect measure and balance. This song is just perfectly written and executed, with a primal feel to it. This piece could be from a Horror soundtrack with its immensely forlorn vibe never being lost throughout. Perfection.
9. Last Drop if Blood is just so damn crunchy in guitar tone, the sampling is once again very well chosen and the build up is dismal as hell. The grievous, melodic and gnarly pace of the song is very nicely done, the band clearly in total control of the direction and never letting any nuance slip away from them. The riffs in this album are what make it so great to me (although biased as I am a guitarist). This song is full of crushing riffs, maddeningly good drums, solid bass work and demonic vocals. The guitar solo is brutally simple yet damn effective and catchy.
10. Final Resting Place is the closer, a sad sight really to know this is drawing to an end. But they do end things with elegance, this track having an old school feel to it, more like something from a classic Horror movie than anything else and perfectly ending this glorious opus of Death-Doom finesse.

If you, like me, have been obsessed with the new Hooded Menace and want some equally crushing morbid Death-Doom Metal, this is it! This release is sheerly crushing yet flamboyant and epic. This is purely devastating in every way! -8.5/10