Showing admirable dedication to the cause of atmospheric sludge-doom, Soothsayer, who hail from Ireland, have managed to pack a mere two tracks into some twenty-four minutes, the first of which is a sweeping sixteen minutes in length. Drawing upon the gargantuan riffing of Soundgarden’s ‘beyond the wheel’ and tempering it with the wide-eyed experimentation of Pink Floyd circa ‘Saucerful of secrets’, Soothsayer are grimly imaginative and the album’s title, ‘At this great depth’, perfectly encapsulates the solipsistic wonders of a deep-sea dive.
‘Umpire’, the album’s astonishing first track takes its time to fully emerge. At sixteen minutes the band have space and to spare, and the track allows a sense of awe and mystery to slowly build as rolling toms underpin lengthy drones and shimmering lead. It’s a stately progression and one that draws the listener in to a world that exists outside of the manic bubble of modern-day life. It takes a full five minutes before anything approaching a vocal appears, which leads to the erroneous conclusion that this is, perhaps, an instrumental album, only for an earth-shattering roar to dispel that notion and send energy levels soaring. Cloaked in swathes of guitar, the harrowing screams are deftly woven into the fabric of the song and whilst the result is unquestionably heavy, the carefully built atmosphere remains. The production helps too thanks to careful separation which allows the lead guitar work to weave subtly between the white-hot riffs that define the song. The album’s second track, ‘Of locusts and moths’, is roughly half the length of its predecessor and thus more forthright, albeit no less magical. With a leaden pace and wordless melodies, ‘Of locusts and moths’ draws water from the same dark well as Reverend Bizarre and My Dying Bride before things take a blackened turn and the spirit of early Celtic Frost raises its gnarled head. Powerful, yet stately, harrowing and yet beautiful, ‘Of locusts and moths’ is a stunning song although it remains slightly overshadowed by the sheer monumental weight of ‘Umpire’.
Nearly flawless in delivery, ‘At this great depth’ is a two-track masterclass in atmospheric sludge-doom that neatly combines brutality and beauty into an impressive package. The production successfully navigates the potential minefield of shimmering leads, coruscating screams and down-tuned riffs, remaining admirably clear throughout, and the album comes housed in a handsome four-panel digi-pack which shows off the eerie artwork to grand effect. In short, if your heart has long since turned to the dark side, this blistering album is for you. 9
