The story of Enchantment is one filled with a whole lot of nothing followed by a blistering reminder that the four-piece U.K.-based death/doom act is still alive and kicking. Formed way back in 1991, the group signed a deal with Century Media for six records, but dissolved four years later after only one, the beloved cult release Dance The Marble Naked.

Fast forward to 2019, when the original lineup – Paul Jones (vocals), Steve Blackmore and Marc Gibson (guitars) and Mark Tierney (bass) – regrouped and came together to create Cold Soul Embrace (Transcending / Cosmic Key Creations), a doting escapade rife with the ebb and flow of guttural grunts and porcelain singing. 

Jones dons the hooded grey-black cloak with oversized sleeves, but don’t mistake this for a doom-heavy undertaking. It’s an appetizing balance that brings out the best of both worlds. Jones pinballs from roar to spoken and back to bloated (‘As Greed As The Eye Beholds’), and continues the antithetical vocals, bellowing “My weakness is my empathy” (‘Painting Amongst The Feathers’) which is relatable, to say the least.

The interlude ‘The Wake Of The Hollering Tide’ clocks in at just under two-and-a-half-minutes, but if expanded, could serve as another serviceable notch in Enchantment’s belt. Water gently recedes and returns to the shore. An acoustic riff sets the scene before becoming electrified with the aid of popping drums and brimming bass. 

The vocal tandem is the headline-grabber, but the instrumentations are just as vital to the machine that drives the record to its melancholic, unhinged glory.

Treat it as a second lease on life or as a thirty-something-year-old band finding their sound and their footing. Cold Soul Embrace is a death metal record for death metal fans just as strongly as it is a doom metal record for doom metal fans. You can’t go wrong with that.

Buy the album here: https://linktr.ee/enchantmentdoom

7 / 10

MATT COOK