ALBUM REVIEW: מזמור – Cairn

Here I review the brand new album by מזמור, bringing some of the most estranged Black/Doom Metal to defile your senses. Out on September 6th via Gilead Media.

Opening with pristine acoustic guitars, there is a gloriously beautiful feel to the music which might cause you to feel relaxed if you do not already know מזמור and what sonic horrors await, so enjoying this tranquil opening while it lasts. Fuzzy guitars blistering in with fierce atmospheric riffing and incredibly warm bass alongside some tortured screams. The production value is incredible with an unwaveringly strong soundscape perpetuated by a vicious mix of guitars and vocals backed up by a wall of ecstatically enthused drumming, conjuring a really warm yet blisteringly bleak soundscape, this is inarguably captivating and emotionally jarring from the off. When the glistening Black Metal breaks into a mournful doomy performance there is a smooth transition musically but the hard-hitting catharsis of droning fuzz and sorrowful guitars really does grasp you with a darkened and well-balanced ambience. Sheerly haunting, this music will certainly give you chills with its bombarding array of piercing Black Metal that is contrasted by some of the most melancholic Doom Metal in perfect harmony. This record is emotionally crippling and empowering in unison which seems illogical yet makes perfect sense with the rasping of driven guitars, pounding drums and howled vocals concocting a hypnotically damning experience. If you, like me, ever wondered how Bell Witch or Pallbearer would sound with a blackened edge to their music, מזמור is the answer. Phenomenally utilised atmospherics enshroud you with this bleak ultimatum of devastating musicianship, forcing you into a catatonic state of funerary euphoria and dragging you into the abyss. With some cleaner breaks, this album does indeed offer some sleepy ambience which only accentuates the lethargic groove of monotonous, dreary doom sections and makes the blackened onslaughts all the more powerful. Within four tracks מזמור take away any hope you have and rebuild a sense of foreboding stronger than any you have experienced. This is a fantastic example of how Black Metal atmospherics and crushing Doom Metal can be used together to make for true atmospheric ecstasy and deliver decimating blows of hardship and devastation. An ambient opus that is certainly going to receive a welcome reception and definitely lives up to the hype of following up the bands amazing previous album “Yodh”. Wonderfully performed, written and executed, this album will haunt your dreams for a long time with its roaring thunderous hell-scapes. -9/10