Perhaps the greatest thing about Doom is its perennial existence outside the realms of fashion which tends to mean that Doom bands are the least likely to be invaded by bands not wholly devoted to the cause. Take Ramesses a doom band from my home county of Dorset (which also spawned Electric Wizard) who have conjured up one of the finest examples of the genre to be heard for some time.
Setting out their brutally sludgy stall with ‘Iron Crow’, Ramesses throw down the gauntlet to other doom bands by laying down riffs of awesome power and coupling them with a fantastic vocal performance from Adam Richardson who has the ability to switch from deathly roar to Black Sabbath-esque tunefulness at the drop of a hat. Not a little retro, Ramesses wear their psychedelic influences on their sleeves, conjuring up a hypnotic trudge that is as inspiring as it is enervating. ‘Terrasaw’ continues the stunning form, with a creepy bass-line and unsettling sounds of sobbing in what is possibly the closest any modern band has come to recreating the damaged splendour of Iron Man, complete with complex time-changes and intricate drumming courtesy of Mark Greening who makes the whole thing sound effortless. ‘Black hash Mass’ is as dark as the title suggests, a misanthropic nightmare that grinds and swirls around the listener before dashing off in an unexpectedly Darkthrone-esque black metal direction. It is utterly irresistible and if these three tracks were the only three on the album I’d be recommending the release whole-heartedly, they are that good. Happily, the first three tracks only skim the surface of this dense album. ‘Take the curse’ is next, threatening doom and curses to all in a pummelling attack on the senses.
‘Vinho dos mortos’ recalls Slayer via ‘Seasons in the abyss’ with its distressing instrumental squall, while ‘Baptism of the walking dead’ is a furious track based around a grindingly repetitive riff that hammers the listener into submission over its seven minute run time. ‘Another skeleton’ is a much needed breather, which is somewhere between Black Sabbath and much-missed Stoner heroes Kyuss (with a hint of ‘Death valley ‘69’ Lydia Lunch thrown in for good measure) before ‘hand of glory’ launches a brutal, deathly attack in the listener’s general direction, tearing you from the groove-induced reverie and snapping you back into the dark world of the first few tracks on the album. ‘The weakening’ is slow, brutal and sounds like the devil’s own funeral while final track ‘Khali music’ sees the album out on a reflective note, albeit a heavy one.
Ramesses play an amalgamation of seventies-obsessed groove rock, Kyuss-esque stoner and monumental doom. Their ability to interpret doom in an imaginative and thrilling way will see them rise to the head of the pack if there is any justice in the world and the band are all clearly skilled musicians. If there is any criticism to be found it is, perhaps, that the production could benefit from a little more polish at times, which is not to say that it is not a powerful album, but there are moments when the ambition outstrips the production values. This is not a major criticism, not least because this is one of the finest doom albums, not just of this year but of the last decade, standing tall amidst the awe-inspiring likes of My Dying Bride and Candlemass. Make no mistake, this album is simply stunning and if you are a fan of the doom genre then this will gleefully darken your day. Top marks.
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