June 2023 - Feature Release - The Fallen Edition

So just like that we find that a new month is upon us which of course means that we’ll be nominating a brand new monthly feature release for each clan. This essentially means that we’re asking you to rate, review & discuss our chosen features for no other reason than because we enjoy the process & banter. We’re really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on our chosen releases so don’t be shy.

This month’s feature release for The Fallen has been nominated by me, Sonny. It is Cosmic Doom Ritual, the debut album from Germany's excellent sludgy doomsters Hexer, released in 2017. I was originally blown away by this and the band have been a firm favourite of mine ever since. Hopefully you will all be able to hear why, but either way I am interested in what you think of it.

https://metal.academy/releases/11165

Here's my new review:

Cosmic Doom Ritual is perhaps a little rougher around the edges than it's successors, but I believe that emphasises the dirty sludginess of their sound more than a crisper and cleaner sound would. The album consists of three tracks each of 11 or 12 minutes duration, long enough for them to develop each track's ideas but not so long as to become self-indulgent and bloated. Each features an atmospheric sludge / post-metal building of tension and atmosphere through their runtime, arriving at a cathartic crescendo as it resolves itself, but each of the tracks has a very different character and all three have their own diverse atmosphere. They are also marvellously evocative and I always find myself conjuring amazing mental pictures to accompany the soundtrack that the album provides. Opener Merkaba, for example, begins serenely enough but soon builds into a dark and ominous sound, that brings to mind the gathering of huge, black thunderhead clouds suddenly erupting in a storm of blackened fury.  My favourite track of the three is the middle one, Pearl Snake, which combines the band's sludgey doom with mystical eastern sounds, evoking the ritual chanting of some long-forgotten Indian death cult. I am always a bit of a sucker for eastern folk sounds being used on metal records and Hexer do make excellent use of the eastern theme here. Album closer, Black Lava Flow, is a throbbing, pulsing slab of sludginess with some black metal hints that really brings to mind the flowing of dark magma from deep in the bowels of some hellish underground volcano. It culminates in a great psychedelic section, complete with analogue keyboards, that feels organic and natural and not at all like it's forced into the song in an attempt to do something unexpected, but seems entirely the way the track should complete it's journey.

I think on this debut Hexer come across as aiming for a sound similar to Ufomammut but with less of a stoner influence and more sludgey, with even a hint of a black metal flavour. Oh, and did I mention that it is heavy as fuck?! Personally I love the thick, crawling riffs and the pounding rhythms that combine to produce an atmosphere dripping with naturalistic and mystical significance and if there is any justice in the world then these guys will become held in much greater esteem in future.

5/5

After a few listens through Cosmic Doom Ritual, I find myself almost at the same point as I was after my first listen. Two thirds pleased and the remaining third confused. That is a basic reflection of the record, track by track. Whereas Pearl Snake and Black Lava Flow are well structured tracks that assert their authority easily and maintain a high level of consistency and presence it is the opening track Merkaba that I cannot get to grips with.

The EP almost works better for me if I listen to it in reverse as I get no sense of a strong listen being ahead for me from the opening track. It seems to float and drift aimlessly, lacking any real sense of direction or purpose and as a result I am left disappointed from the off. There are some good ideas on it, but they are not managed well and so the track just feels like a cluster of thoughts committed to tape.

Sonny’s Ufomammut reference is perfect for the EP though, those middle eastern elements adding some enchanting psychedelia to proceedings. The sludgier elements to the music sets Hexer apart from the reference as well though. They are perhaps not as chaotic and cloying enough for my sludge tastes, but they do a good enough job still in the grander scheme of things. Closing track Black Lava Flow is my favourite overall. There is a rumbling presence to the bass that underpins the track perfectly and those horrid rasping vocals work well also. Shame I just cannot get on with that opening track really.

3/5

Here's my review:

I hadn’t actually heard of German doom/sludge metallers Hexer before this month’s feature release. Sonny has a habit of identifying interesting & ambitious underground acts in the depths of our The Fallen clan though so I went into the band’s 2017 debut album “Cosmic Doom Ritual” with a positive outlook & have been thoroughly rewarded for it too as it turns out. You see, Sonny & I share a passion for psychedelia & when combined with metal in subtle ways it can create a truly transcendental experience. These sort of records require a great deal of patience though as they rarely give up their full array of gifts without repeat listens. You really do need to be in the right headspace to allow yourself to be engulfed by the swirling atmosphere as repetition is used as a basic building block of the composition & the hooks aren’t always obvious.

After coming fully to grips with “Cosmic Doom Ritual” over the last couple of days, I’ve come to the realisation that Hexer have fooled many people because the use of the word “doom” in the album title has led most online resources to claim the album as doom metal. In reality though, the tone is much more abrasive & the vocals are a lot harsher & more aggressive than you would usually expect from doom which sees the release aligning itself pretty clearly with sludge metal. The use of slowly building post-rock song structures & stripped-back atmospherics is far in excess of what you will find on a conventional sludge release though with the band taking a more textured approach & steering away from the standard riff-fest. For these reasons, I see “Cosmic Doom Ritual” as a post-sludge metal release with references to stoner metal in the psychedelics. It’s very similar to another one of Sonny’s favourites in MSW’s “Obliviosus” in that way & I’m pleased to have discovered that it’s just as successful in the endeavour too. The Ufomammut references that some of you have mentioned are certainly relevant too. There are some faster blasting sections utilised at times only in more of a hardcore context than a death metal one although the vocal delivery does occasionally edge a little closer to the border of death/grind than most sludge front men dare. If I’m being particularly picky I’d probably suggest that the vocals are the weakest component of the album to tell you the truth but thankfully the instrumentation is so engaging that it’s not all that relevant a point. The bass tone is of particular note as they’ve managed to nail that full yet inherently dirty sludge sound to a tee.

“Cosmic Doom Ritual” consists of three lengthy tracks, all of which are of a high quality & possess their own unique character traits which is an important element of any great record. The second track “Pearl Snake” is the real classic of the three & was the deciding factor in me awarding the album one of my elite scores. The way that track builds & develops through various different timbres & atmospheres is phenomenal & inevitably leaves me feeling exhilarated. The other two inclusions are both strong though with the post-rock sections being particularly well executed so I’ve been really pleasantly surprised by this record. I’d recommend it to all members of The Fallen & The Infinite with a taste for a psychedelic metal sound.

4.5/5

I am always quite nervous when suggesting little-known releases as I often wonder if they are unknown for good reason, ie they aren't very good, and I just can't see it. I had a sneaking suspicion that you may enjoy it though, Daniel, as we have often seen eye-to-eye on similarly psychedelia-infested releases in the past. 

I would also highly recommend their sophomore, Realm of the Feathered Serpent, as it too is a great record. Their most recent album, Abyssal, has seen the band reduced to a duo with some stripping back of their sound and, for me, is a little bit of a step down, but it's still a good album.

I've done my review, here's its summary:

What's expected in one of those "post-" genres is the immense atmosphere. It helps you live through the enjoyment of such a journey. Cosmic Doom Ritual is a title that may sound simple yet promising in the dreamy atmosphere. It also sums up what you might find in this offering; the cosmic ambience of Darkspace, the sludgy doom of early Isis, and the post-metal ritual of Neurosis, all combined into a savory space-doomy post-sludge sound... Cosmic Doom Ritual is the debut album by Hexer (whose band name appears to be inspired by The Witcher franchise). The band has projected their sound through the conceptual tale of a giant sea creature devouring its prey. They can really make a story similar to a Mastodon or Ahab album with a cosmic twist. There are 3 tracks, each with an average length of 12 minutes, all in good alternation with the post-rock melancholy. The vocals remind me of Godflesh and, to a lesser extent, Napalm Death. The melody has created an interesting soundscape. However, the tedious production, especially in the last track, is why I don't find it as awesome as the doomy metalheads would. Still the immense atmosphere has kept the band growing....

3/5

What is it about the production job that you find tedious Andi?

It's mostly in the last track, "Black Lava Flow". It seems to me that the atmospheric steam that has leveled up the album is lost, and therefore doesn't reach the earlier intensity.