There may not be a “classic” doom metal genre, officially (is there really an official subgenre list of heavy metal?), but when I think of the classic doom metal sound, I think of the UK style. Super beefy guitar riffs, slowed down tempo, lyrics about the occult and psychedelics, and of course, clean high end pitched vocals to tie it all together. Friends of Hell does just that on their self-titled debut album (Rise Above). Tas Danazoglou (Satan’s Wrath/ex-Electric Wizard), and vocalist Albert Witchfinder (Opium Warlords/ex-Reverend Bizarre) are the driving force behind this doom machine and seems like that is all that is needed.
Friends of Hell opens right up with a thick riff that really sets the bar for the rest of the album. ‘Out With the Wolves’ wastes no time at all with Albert’s vocals kicking in and flying over the rest of the instrumentals. The very next track, ‘Shadow of The Impaler’, then outdoes the previous riff as this one is slower and heavier. To avoid just four minutes of monotony though, a juicy guitar solo sneaks its way in before that delicious riff returns. A great track to prove Friends of Hell are not a one trick pony is ‘Evil They Call Us’ as the tempo is picked up but to no expense for the rest of the elements in the song. The guitar work is still very enjoyable and certainly gave off the feel of driving on the open road.
Not to ride on the “classic” doom spiel from before too much, but another characteristic that really is not really realized at first, each track averages around 4 minutes so as not to cling around too long. The modern-day doom scene can sometimes lose itself, which can be positive or negative, but it is certainly something that existed at the roots of the genre that are no often employed any longer. Additionally, there is a perfect level of cheese I expect in albums such as this or the polar opposite in power metal albums, and often the mark is missed greatly. Fortunately for Friends of Hell, they do a pretty good job at sticking around the ballpark.
Buy the album here: https://riseaboverecords.com/product/friends-of-hell/
7 / 10
TIM LEDIN