The United
Kingdom is arguably the birth place of doom
metal and the sovereign state has not failed to produce quality bands
and
musicians. Though one group in particular has cast quite a large shadow
over the
entire doom scene, particularly in the UK,
it is almost impossible not to have high expectations for doom
traffickers hailing
from that side of the Atlantic, especially
considering their lineage. Black Magician’s first release, ‘Nature is
the
Devil’s Church’, is a welcome addition to the canon of dark, atmospheric
doom.
Musically the band shares much in common with Dartmoor’s
The Wounded Kings in that each band is capable of producing some of the
slowest, most somber, affective tunes of the past few years without
testing the
patience of the listener.
‘Nature is the Devil’s Church’ innocuously opens
with a
brief, delicate piano passage. While “The Foolish Fire” doesn’t even
surpass
the one minute mark, it does succeed in suggesting that there is
something
sinister lurking just beyond the intro in pure Hammer horror fashion.
“Full
Plain I See, the Devil Knows How to Row” slowly builds from a wash of
feedback,
organ and drums, before reaching a hypnotic doom metal plod. Organ has
been
used successfully by many doom bands, but Black Magician has wholly
incorporated the instrument tastefully into their sound. “Full Plain I
see, the
Devil Knows How to Row” could be the soundtrack for the damned souls of
the
Demeter. Birds chirping, a crow cawing, and a lone bell ringing signal
the
beginning of “Four Thieves Vinegar”, another brooding excursion into the
dark chasm
of doom. At this point in the album two things become apparent: the band
is
adept at concocting lengthy, engrossing tunes that are not strictly
relegated
to a crawl, and singer Liam Yates has a distinct, yet singular approach
to his
vocal delivery. The vocals are raspy and the delivery is unwavering, but
it
seems to work. For now. It will be interesting to see if Liam can imbue
more
dynamics into his delivery on future releases. The folk inflected,
“Ghost
Worship” is another instrumental that is upbeat and pastoral.
Finger-picked
guitar and organ are central to the song’s composition. “Ghost Worship”
may be
divergent, but it serves to showcase the band’s influences and act as a
foil to
the darker songs of the album. The fifteen minute epic, “Chattox”—a
reference
to Anne Whittle and the Pendle witch trials—appropriately closes out the
album.
“Chattox” unfolds slowly at first, but is spurred on with driving
percussion
and atmospheric organ. It’s an effective album closer that solidifies
Black
Magician’s grim vision.
It would be easy, albeit lazy, to pass Black
Magician off as
just another occult doom band. While the occult is certainly an aspect
of their
music, it has more to do with the band’s fascination with England’s
rich,
yet dark, historical eras. References to the epidemic destruction of the
bubonic plague, flagellants and their mortification of the flesh, and
the
forced confession of witches are all fair game for Black Magician.
‘Nature is
the Devil’s Church’ is a solid debut that incorporates a variety of
influences.
The band has surely put themselves on the map with this release and it
has
managed to stand out among some of the other great albums already
released this
year.
Words: Steve Miller
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