If you like doom-ladden dark rock music, then you are really in for a treat with The House of Capricorn's sophomore album In the Devil's Days, which takes the listener on a dark journey to Hell to meet with the Lord of the Flies and witness his rebirth (that's actually the lyrical concept of the album).
In terms of tempo and musical aesthetics, the tunes on the album range from slow and ridiculously heavy over midtempo rockers to slightly uptempo classic metal-driven affairs, so there is a lot of variation in that sense, but the one thing that remains the same is the dark atmosphere that is ubiquitous in every song on the album. Stylistically, the music is a blend of gothic metal, doom metal, sludge metal and hard rock with a couple of elements from black metal as well, and, in a way, the tracks on In the Devil's Days have the darkness and atmosphere of Paradise Lost, the heaviness and melancholy of Type 0 Negative and the rocking feel of Danzig - in other words, this is an expressive and enjoyable listen that appeals not just to fans of doom metal, but also to dark rock and sludge metal.
While all the tracks have something to offer, I prefer the really heavy ones, like the epic slow oppressive 'Les Innocents' which certainly would make Black Sabbath proud, and the equally heavy and oppressive graveyard doom track 'Veils' which screams of sorrow and desperation, while the 14 minutes long 'Horns' is both creepy and darkly melodic. Yup, there are some outstanding doom tracks on the album, but the more uptempo ones are also very enjoyable.
In the Devil's Days is a dark and doom-ladden rock/metal release which any fan of heavy music like doom metal, sludge metal, dark metal or gothic metal definitely should check out.
Track listing:
1. All Hail to the Netherworld
2. Les Innocents
3. Coffins and Cloven Hooves
4. Arcane Delve
5. Canto IV
6. Veils
7. To Carry the Lantern
8. Illumination in Omega
9. Horns
10. In the Devil's Days
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