Review by Vinny for Gloombound - Dreaming Delusion (2025)

Just as it looked like 2025 was going to be more than a little light on funeral doom, along come Norwegian five-piece, Gloombound with their debut record Dreaming Delusion to ensure the levels of desperation are suitably smothering enough. As I sit here, drenched in misery, with wave after wave of it hitting me in tandem with the stab of the organ on album opener ‘At the Precipice to Longinquity’, Gloombound have clearly done their homework. Now, whilst I may not be grading everything as an A+, there’s enough references here for me to think of the likes of Disembowelment or Skepticism as the track lumbers towards its conclusion after nine minutes. This is a strong opening track that balances the instrumentation well. Crushingly heavy riffs and crystal clear, sorrowful keyboard passages combine well. 

There are unexpected moments of clarity in here also. The sheer twang of the guitar strings on the build up during ‘An Eternity of Complete Acquiescence’ borders on middle eastern almost. Fast forward 90 seconds though and we are in riff mode, rumbling away with some good old-fashioned repetition to underline the point. At this point I would like to call out the excellent work of the vocalists, Emma and Mina. Again, they are both obviously well-schooled in the sub-genre and do a fantastic job of delivering guttural yet abrasive vocals. Handling bass and drum duties also, the duo are a real focal point for the band, carrying a real presence which is to be expected from the percussion and vocal section I suppose.

Similarly, lead and rhythm guitarists Nate and Hakon do a great job, and I quickly got the impression that Gloombound are serious about their artform. As funeral doom records go, Dreaming Delusion is a largely professional job. Things do go a little astray timing wise on ‘Luminary Dissolution’ but it is a debut record so I will cut them some slack. I could do without the mid-point instrumental palate cleanser if I am being totally honesty as it does disrupt the flow of the record a little for me. The record does bounce back nicely, immediately afterwards but even with a fifteen-minute closing track, the two minute track ‘Salvation’ does little to differentiate itself from the opening of the album closer.

The final track does help the album live up to its title. It feels disorientating in its build, yet the organ and light mix to the drums does feed the dreaming aspect of things. The clean singing is by far the most challenging aspect of this track, if not the whole album. That awkwardness may very well be an intentional factor, that was added in with some desire to create alienation for the listener given that funeral doom is not supposed to be a comfortable listen exactly. It is still a bold move to include a fifteen-minute track anywhere on your album, let alone do it on your debut, right at the very end. Nate flexes his fingers nicely on the solo on this track, his notes crisp and clear, piercing through the murk of the record in general. Impressive debut.