Reverend Bizarre - In the Rectory of the Bizarre Reverend (2002)^{Release ID: 1895}

I consider Reverend Bizarre to be the epitome of what I would term "true" doom metal. Their slowed down Sabbathian riffs and eschewing of any frills results in a stripped-to-basics sound that is shorn of any pretentiousness and has since been taken up by bands like Pallbearer and Procession. In the Rectory of the Bizarre Reverend, released in 2002, was the Finnish trio's debut and ultimate statement of their doom metal philosophy. It's six songs span an hour and a quarter, ranging in length from five to twenty minutes and are ploddingly slow so, consequently, not for the faint-hearted or doom metal newcomer. Albert Witchfinder's (Sami Hynninen) vocals are functional, but his tone perfectly suits the mood the band are trying to create. Thematically, we're talking Edgar Allen Poe, Vincent Price, Roger Corman territory, so nothing too serious and the only thing about the band that isn't "heavy"! If you love downtuned, extended metal dirges that make no pretense of being high art and are slightly tongue-in-cheek lyrically, then RB should definitely appeal.
As an aside, if you can get the double disc version packaged with the Return to the Rectory EP that weighs in at a whopping 140 minutes (and features the classic love song to Christina Ricci, Goddess of Doom) then definitely go for that as it's more of the same - doom metal nirvana!

Reverend Bizarre are a Doom act that received notoriety for reviving and reintroducing the Metal world to the old-school fuzziness of Traditional 80’s Doom (and of course, their roots in the earliest 70’s Sabbath material).

By the end of the 90’s, true Doom had fully developed, and with it the more extreme iterations of Death Doom and Funeral Doom. Trad Doom had been mostly left behind or adopted by Stoner bands as newer Doom bands focused on the emotion, mood, and atmosphere of the true strain of the genre.

Reverend Bizarre invites listeners back into the fuzzy and occult rituals of the old guard, enveloping the senses with fuzzy, repetitive guitars, plodding rhythms and the voice of a pagan preacher. Most of the music is lethargic and monotonous, but sections of more energetic jamming pop up usually when they are most needed.

For this listener, Reverend Bizarre remind me of everything I dislike about Trad Doom and why I feel it’s better left in the past. I’ve mentioned in multiple reviews before that the reason Doom works so well is because the emotional, moody atmosphere is heightened by the crushing heaviness and funereal speed. So take away all the feeling and mood, and what are you left with? Slow, heavy, and boring. No emotion to fill the empty space left by the plodding, repetitive instruments. And that’s what Trad Doom is. The slowness of Doom without any of the emotion, passion, and melancholy that makes it so special and unique.

As far as Trad Doom itself goes, In the Rectory of the Bizarre Reverend is… average. Painfully so. Most songs have good ideas, but repeat them far too many times for far too long to the point they become tiring. Songs are not long because they have a lot to say or do, they are just long to fill space. Lazy and lethargic is the best descriptors for these songs.

Opening track Burn in Hell has a damn good riff and nice evil atmosphere, and is definitely one of the stronger tracks. However, the aforementioned issue of the song just being way too long and repetitive ruins its power, making the good riffs tiring because of how simple they are and how often they are repeated. “The Hour of Death” is the best track for sure, holding some genuine grief as it details the loss of a loved one, but even then, the song doesn’t actually sound super emotional, although it is quite good. “Doomsower” is just plain fun misanthropy.

I think timing is part of why this album is revered as it is. Trad Doom had been kind of dead and buried for the better part of a decade by 2002, so these guys were definitely appealing to aging Metalhead’s nostalgia as well as introducing a new era to the old school sound. But throw this album in a basket with the rest of the genre, and there’s nothing special about it. Sounds the same as everything that was already done in the 80’s, and it doesn’t do anything that well or unique to warrant such accolades. If you love the genre, you’ll definitely love this. If you don’t… you won’t.