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LORD OF CONFUSION
Evil Mystery

Gruesome / Morbid And Miserable (2022)
Rating: 8/10

Lord Of Confusion is a doom metal act from Portugal, a four-piece that three years ago emerged with an EP entitled Burnin’ Valley. This full-length debut however is drenched with creepy, Gothic organ which will provide a soundtrack for any graveyard rendezvous you may conjure up.

Tolling bells, slow pensive percussion, and plenty of distorted drudgery and Hammer horror atmosphere abounds here, and to top it all off the vocals of Carlota Sousa who provides extra bewitching, if all too familiar tones of terror.

I’ve reviewed a lot of stuff like this over the years and I think a band has to have a certain charm to separate themselves from the over-crowded swamp of similar acts doing the rounds. At times, Lord Of Confusion does have that haunting vibe I dig and it’s mostly down to Carlota’s keyboard work because elsewhere, although the axe work of Danilo Sousa is effective and lumbering, it still remains formulaic doom. However, the longer, pining aesthetics of opener ‘Land Of Mystery’ does bring an enchanting ooze as the bass of João Fonseca works in tandem with the percussive chimes of Nelson Figueiredo.

Evil Mystery is drenched in the sort of atmosphere you’d expect from long forgotten castle ruins you stumbled across one thundery night. ‘Howling Void’ takes on more of a death / doom quality as this time the vocals are guttural growls which in turn make me miss Carlota’s haunting swirls. I’m thankful then for the aching heave of ‘Evil Blood’ which creaks like an oaken floorboard prized up to reveal Count Dracula’s secret hideout.

It could be argued, however, that Lord Of Confusion is a limited commodity but one happy to trudge along like a black river of congealed blood. So as ‘Witchfinder’ emerges from the orifice of ‘Evil Blood’ and ‘Hell’ leaks to the slow-motion tap drip of impending doom, my patience is at times tested even though my spine is chilled.

I really do like this album and so will you if you like Pentagram with an Electric Wizard twist.

Neil Arnold

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