You have to give Hang the Bastard credit for trying something completely different here, no matter how the end result sits with you. Sex in the Seventh Circle is the latest release from the UK headbangers, a collection of truly colossal doom that instantly brings to mind Black Sabbath, Saint Vitus, Sleep, Candlemass, Down, and Crowbar, except...with the addition of shrieking, black metal styled vocals. Yes, you heard that right, thunderous, plodding doom coupled with hellish rasps over the top. It's certainly going to be a combination that will stir the pot and become a 'love it or hate it' topic among many, and I'm not totally sure which side I am on as of yet, but no doubt it's different. Tunes like "Keeping Vigil", "Hornfel", and "The Majestic Gathering of Goetia" just crush with doomy might, the massive riffs of Sam Rice simply delightful, full of power & menace. But then in comes Tomas Hubbard with his Dani Filth influenced shrieking, and it's sort of a shock to the system. Not in a bad way mind you, but because this is not something we've really heard much before, it takes some getting used to. "Mist of Albion" is a much more traditional, bluesy/psych doom track, with chilling, effects laden clean vocals drifting through a smoky haze of lilting, fuzz soaked guitar chords and pounding drums. Let's face it, you can't go wrong with the absolutely killer riffs on "Snake Symbol", "Absorption", "Sweet Mother" and the title track...this is crushing doom the way it should be. The vocals? Like I said, they are well done, but whether these raging black metal screams saddle up with booming doom riffs will just have to be something for you to decide. I'm still on the fence, but there's no denying that Hang the Bastard, if nothing else, have created a riff-tastic gem with Sex in the Seventh Circle.
Track Listing
01. Keeping Vigil
02. Morrs Tempest
03. Hornfel
04. The Lesser Key
05. The Majestic Gathering Of Goetia
06. Mist Of Albion
07. Sex In The Seventh Circle
08. Snake Symbol
09. Absorption
10. Beyond The Pale
11. Sweet Mother
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
