Doom, Death, Darkness

Grooving Death Metal. If you were to play me ten different bands from this genre back to back, there's a good chance that there will only be a few that I could recognize right off the bat. These days, a lot of Death Metal bands sound the same and really have nothing original or identifiable that separates them from the rest of the crowd. The market has become that saturated. It really comes down to who just does it better and has songs that will really stick with you. With Mystic Grave, I'd like to think they have something that does make them stick out a little more than some of the other bands within the Death Metal category.. Mystic Grave is a three piece Death Metal band from Northern Finland that consists of Gibletface (strings, feedbacks, lack of harmony within, bad noise, repulsive shrieks and grunts), A.P. Pagan (throat abuse, bassbashing, terror, nausea, grave stench) and Ron Tomb (skins, fear, hate, insane moaning and vomit). Mystic Grave recorded their five song EP, Doom, Death, Darkness at RAAKK studios in Raahe. The songs were recorded in two sessions: three nights in March and a couple in June of 2007. Mystic Grave's brand of Death Metal is a mix of sludgy doom (ala Black Sabbath meets Candlemass) and grungy groove (ala Obituary, Six Feet Under and Torture Killer) and at times throw in some thrashier parts for good measure. The vocals are nothing short of painful, throat worn, demonic gutteral grunts and screams of torture. The guitars are probably the most dominant part of the music. They have a very distorted and buzzing, metallic crunch to them. The tone of the guitars sounds similar to the one used by many Black Metal bands. The rhythm playing is catchy and grooving with feedback used at times. The sound of the snare drum is very tight and really stands out in the mix while the crash cymbals are ear shattering. The tone of the bass is not too deep or subsonic sounding where it would drown out everything else. Lyrically, the band write songs dealing with doom, death and darkness, hence the title of the EP! Most of the songs are graphically descriptive so unless you have a strong stomach I suggest you eat after listening! In fact, this is the kind of stuff you should listen to when it is either dark or raining out and you are depressed about something. The production quality and recording of the demo has a raw feel to it. Considering this is something that the band financed and produced themselves, it gives them a little bit of an edge. The only minor complaints I have regards the quality of the drums. The kick drum is a little low in the mix, sounding muddy at times. Also, the snare drum is a bit too tight for my tastes, sounding a bit tinny. Finally, the hi-hats and crash cymbals have a bit more high end on them then I'd prefer but that does not take anything away from the over all mix. Still, Doom, Death, Darkness is listenable and will have you watching plenty of b-horror movies in no time! . I feel that Doom, Death, Darkness is a good representation of some of the potential that Mystic Grave has. These guys make a lot of noise for a three piece. Doom, Death, Darkness should interest some of the independent labels that specialize in Death Metal and eventually get the band signed.. With that said, Mystic Grave seems to be on the right track in taking things to the next level. For more information on the band, visit their home page as well as their My Space page at http://www.mysticgrave.com/news.htm.