RSS Feed


ANGUISH
Magna est vis Siugnah

High Roller (2018)
Rating: 7.5/10

Magna est vis Siugnah is the third full-length album from Swedish doomsters Anguish; a combo that has lived up to its name for over a decade by marrying together a plodding menace with themes of dark fantasy and cosmic gloom.

The only thing that really separates these guys from the masses of other morose marauders is the gravelly tones of bassist J. Dee whose style is more of a drunken, throaty rasp, and it really adds extra filth to what could best be described as a straight down the line classic doom metal sound.

Dee sounds reminiscent of some tortured orc keen to seek revenge on those who confined him to his damp dungeon of despair. And so with his merry and morbid cohorts Magna est vis Siugnah finds him trudging through enchanted Scandinavian forests and grim caverns, the walls echoing with the sound of an interesting marrying of Candlemass and Celtic Frost.

Six tracks are offered up, a 50-minute banquet of majestic doom metal with extra sides and a dessert of dew-damp morbidity. But there’s always that grandiose air about an Anguish opus, the band finding a (un)happy medium between vintage doom achiness and contemporary design.

In this case, Anguish find themselves lumbering like a frost giant but never dragging their heels. All this can be summed up by the behemoth title track with its dark, misty trudging – a creaking monstrosity of deep, thudding drum thumps, but the nifty strands of lead guitar which becomes a mesmerising worm that wriggles its way through the musty odours. And just around the corner there’s a raise in tempo; a black wave of rolling riffage accompanied by Dee’s mournful grunts.

Opener ‘Blessed Be The Beast’ is wonderfully dark and weighty, setting the scene for the likes of the epic ‘Of The Once Ravenous’ and ‘Elysian Fields Of Fire’ to follow. The former being a grim, mocking slab of menace built upon Rasmus’ pounding drum and the twin guitar wretchedness of Linus and David; both of whom create a thick wall of mossy sound of varying tempo, but which consistently trudges and traipses. Meanwhile, ‘Elysian Fields Of Fire’ begins with a funeral nod and continues this weary path for some time and remains probably the slowest track on the album, although closer ‘Our Daughter’s Banner’ gives it a run for its money; a true monolithic snoozer with grim vocal expressions and skull-fracturing percussion.

But in spite of the weight and suffocating doom quality, Magna est vis Siugnah, like much of the band’s work, is not a predictable album; the outfit somehow providing enough atmosphere and creaking sincerity to evoke images of forest twilight. Yes, it’s doom metal – plain and simple – but there’s a deep, earthy glistening to those massive, droning riffs, and all the while Dee is at the helm orchestrating things these surly Swedes will always live up their moniker.

There’s a lot on offer here within the folds of the six mighty tunes, so take to the path, tread carefully and await your fate within the mire.

Neil Arnold

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share