You know it is autumn in the Northern Hemisphere when the leaves fall from the trees, the days get shorter, and new doomy black metal albums drop into your ears. This year’s first taste of hopelessness in the dying of nature is Ghorot with their sophomore full-length release, Wound (King of the Monsters).
At its instrumental core, the Boise, Idaho three-piece is very much a Doom Metal band but lyrically and vocally brings in the Black Metal influences to further spice up their sound. And just like a Doom Metal record, this one runs just shy of forty minutes yet only five tracks long… just the way that dark dish is meant to be served.
Wound opens up with a properly named title, “Dredge”, as this track really feels like a giant net is being dragged across the ocean floor, slowly and painfully ripping up all life. The tempo slowly picks up a bit along with a guitar solo before a noisy feedback outro. “Corsican Leather” really stood out to me on this album as Ghorot went for a more evenly mixed amount of doom metal and black metal, with guitar riffs having a deep atmospheric black metal feel. There is still a slow, droning bridge to remind the listener that this is still very much a doom metal band at its roots.
On the other side of the spectrum is “Canyon Lands”, which is a full-fledged funeral doom journey that still is able to carry the grim of a black metal song. Even when the guitar leads kick in, the tempo does not change at all, which could be a big point-getter for listeners or a reason to skip the track.
Being quite a fan of both doom metal and black metal, I had slightly higher than normal expectations for this second album from Ghorot. While Wound may not have exceeded my expectations, I can certainly say they were met. Black metal can be pretty vicious and fast, which is of course the polar opposite of doom metal. For this project to put together a forty minute album of enjoyable tracks, I think that speaks volumes and really sets the table for what could come down the line.
Buy the album here:
https://ghorot.bandcamp.com/album/wound
7 / 10
TIM LEDIN