Iris

Doom/black metal from Saskatchewan.

I don't know quite how to describe this one. Normally, when someone says "doom metal," I think of music that is slow and centered on a voice that rumbles like thunder. These tracks often move at a good clip, including the title track, "Iris." They aren't soporific at all.

As for the voice...well, this album has an assortment of voices. We get screamy vocals, but also a lot of ordinary choral vocals. I think at least three people are singing on this album. I found the switches in voice jarring at first, and the vocals on this album still aren't my favorite, but I've softened on them over time. They give the album a lot of variety.

The highlight of the album, for me, is the slowest track: "Broken Hymn." This thing is terrific, and when I heard it, I knew that I wanted to write about it. I don't listen to lyrics, so often I have no idea what a track or even an album is about. "Broken Hymn" makes it clear, just through its instrumentals, that it is about grief--the kind of throbbing, eradicating grief that pulses in your head like a migraine. At 1:45, the guitars begin to pound in this brutal, articulated way, imitating a headache. We get some metal vocals, some protestations of sorrow. At the four minute mark, we get some catharsis. The instruments speed up, we get a rush of sound, and the vocals transition from doom metal to normal. The track ends by returning to the throbbing, pulsing nightmare. It sounds as though nothing really was accomplished--no resolution found. The exasperated noise that the vocalist makes at 7:20 is the perfect capstone.

In general, I prefer the tracks in the second half of the album, although Iris is strong throughout. "Voices of Winter" makes terrific use of its string instruments, including a moving middle section. "Child of Light" opens like a shoegaze track, but has an emotional, memorable build. "Isolation" opens the album in a peaceful, contemplative way.

Overall, really good stuff.