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LORD DYING
Summon The Faithless

Relapse (2013)
Rating: 7/10

Portland, Oregon’s Lord Dying boast one of my favourite album covers of the last few years. The quartet was formed in 2010 and Summon The Faithless is the debut, eight-track opus from this merry bunch of doomsters. Thankfully, it’s not the usual stoner metal that is infecting the shores of the world; instead there is a degree of angst and pain amidst those weighty yet feverish riffs, giving the record a rather lively, albeit panicky feel.

The “doom metal” tag is certainly rather restrictive for some bands, and that applies here, because as soon as you’re engulfed by the raging flames of the first track, ‘In A Frightful State Of Gnawed Dismemberment’, you’re at once taken aback by the raucous vocals and energetic, albeit tempestuous riffs.

Admittedly, the opening chords and raise-the-roof bombastic drums suggest another stoner band, but things soon change with just over a minute gone and we’re treated to an almost classic heavy metal riff and hammering drum. While groove-based, there are hints of weighty grunge and even gloomy thrash, especially in those wild vocals, and it’s no surprise that they’ve previously played with bands such as Unsane and Down.

Considering they are a relatively young band, Lord Dying have an incredibly mature sound, especially in those driving structures and gritty melodies – the twin riff attack of E. Olson (who is also responsible for the raw vocals) and C. Evans is one to be taken seriously.

Strangely, despite their direct approach, the sound of Lord Dying is a hard one to pin down; they seemingly lurk in the basement of slower, darkly-tinged thrash, boisterous doom, and traditional albeit fuming metal. For instance, the title track adopts a grunge-tinged Slayer riff, while ‘Greed Is Your Horse’ has a more scathing, colder guitar lick coupled with a slower melody, whereas ‘Dreams Of Mercy’ is an irritated punk-laced slab of muscular doom, again powered by those bruising vocals of E. Olson.

Mind you, of all the tracks on offer, it’s the monstrous ‘Perverse Osmosis’ that leaves the biggest bruise; it oozes in on a massive riff and despicable yowl, bringing to mind the once glorious strains of Tad, who owned this type of hurtful harmony on their underrated 1990 Salt Lick opus.

I can see why these guys would appeal to fans of Down, because like Phil Anselmo’s troupe they’ve found a peculiar corner which allows them to be at once accessible yet inhospitable. One moment Lord Dying rope you in with another gargantuan riff, but the next they are so acerbic that listening can become something akin to being hit by a baseball bat.

Regular doom metal fans may find Lord Dying a little too grotesque, but for the metalhead in all of us Lord Dying fill a need, and that need is to work up a sweat, because after this opus you’ll be wringing the flannel out. Good stuff, if a little tough.

Neil Arnold

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