For those still battling the Doom Metal withdrawal bouts, Death Will Tremble has heard your cries and have gifted you the self-released Departures EP. If 2016’s Mona left you with an itch you can’t seem to scratch, Departures is the remedy you seek. However, that payoff comes with a price: it’s just one new song. Sure, it’s a 14-minute song so I guess you’re getting the most bang for your buck, but boy did I want more.

Given the single track, it was imperative for Death Will Tremble to fully use every second of song and make it count. Think of ‘Departures’ as the unholy matrimony between the rattling heaviness of Sumac and the beautiful sorrow of Joy Division. Walls of guitar crunch are sandwiched between almost acoustic slices of atmosphere and somber reflection and yet by the closing minutes you start to feel uplifted. As frontman Hunter Townsend wails and commands that you “pull yourself together” you begin to realize that the world may be a cold and horrid place, but you’re not ready to die just yet. Aiding in this uplifting momentum are splashes of double kick drums from Peter Murray and a guitar solo that eschews technical prowess for raw emotion.

I’ve got my fix for now, but how long until DTs are at my door again? Don’t make us wait too long, Death Will Tremble.

8.0/10

HANS LOPEZ