REVIEW: DRUID LORD - Grotesque Offerings

 

DRUID LORD - Grotesque Offerings

Hells Headbangers Records

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This album undeniably radiates a consistent death/doom atmosphere. Druid Lord is a valuable addition to the metal industry, offering a genuinely unique sound. I appreciate the guitars, which maintain low distortion while layering eerie tones on top of the heavy, melodic riffs. The songs generally maintain a slow tempo, featuring thick instrumentation and equally robust vocals. It all contributes to the epic ambiance that Druid Lord has masterfully cultivated. I'm thoroughly enjoying it because there are not many bands that successfully merge these two genres. The sound quality is impressive, evoking a sense of horror movie aesthetics. It's undeniably eerie.

The album has a runtime of approximately an hour, and it consistently immerses the listener in dark and eerie sounds. Druid Lord doesn't hold back in delivering a persistent sense of doom, leaning more toward doom metal than death metal.

The standout elements of this album are the guitars and vocals. The tempos rarely accelerate, maintaining a death-like and underground quality. The lead guitar work is noteworthy, even though there are occasional bursts of faster tempos. However, the album primarily embraces the slow and heavy vibes of doom metal, reminiscent of older Draconian. The guitars maintain their thick and chunky sound without venturing into faster territories. The vocals remain deep and, at times, even reach shrieking heights. I must say that this release is undoubtedly satisfying and offers a consistent dose of doom metal throughout.

The guitars consistently deliver slow, melancholic melodies, with only a few instances of increased speed. This album, while excellent, may not be the best choice for listeners in a depressive state, as it truly immerses you in a somber mood. However, I find myself favoring this album over their newer release because it exudes a more pronounced sense of morbidity and misery. The guitars maintain their low, brooding tone throughout the album, and the riffs maintain a deliberate, slow pace in most of the songs. The lead guitar work is of high quality. In essence, I would classify this band primarily as a doom metal band, as the death metal elements take a backseat. I highly recommend checking this out!

Ryan “Death8699” Fanucchi