Carmilla (Marcilla) / Spectral Visions

From being an extreme-doom powerhouse of last decade, Moss has switched to a traditional sound, the one created by their forebears in the UK. Carmilla (Marcilla) / Spectral Visions is an example of that sound distilled into EP form, and since British doom can be pretty conservative in style (and for that matter, so can songs about 19th-century vampiresses), Moss probably is in for some criticism, especially by the fans of the old extreme sound. But there's a certain charm in Moss's Electric Wizard worship too, especially with the still-rough edge of the band's former sound driving the tunes. The guitar creeps at a glacial pace towards its goal, with a thrumming, ripping sound, while Olly Pearson gives a sneering, slightly off-key vocal performance. The drumming is slow, dramatic, and heavy on the toms, and while in keeping with the sound, there is a clear melody, the songs remain somewhat aimless, with even the guitar solos, after squealing like nails on a chalkboard, giving up without driving the song much further. The impression given is that the band is doing this EP for pleasure, playing the music they like without necessarily giving the original fans what they'd most like to hear -- although fans of the new sound will likely be as happy with it as Moss appears to be. Bandcamp: https://mossdoom.bandcamp.com/album/carmilla-marcilla-spectral-visions.