Pantheist’s eponymous fourth album offers sacral doom metal. The music is characterized by the doomy slowness and noise drones of Neurosis, without the shouting, but with real singing instead. There are death growls, e.g. on “The Storm,” but they take a back row seat, and to contrast this outdated doom metal cliché, the second half of the track evolves to include folkloristic elements such as a flamenco guitar. The sublime “Be Here” is the album’s centerpiece, a slow ambient doom song with heavy guitar drones – but at heart it's really a melancholic pop ballad. “Brighter Days” points toward the gothic heaviness of Type O Negative but also the epic metal bombast of Bathory. As heavy and melancholic as the sounds are, the band always demonstrates a talent for awe-inspiring melodies. In fact, “Pantheist” is a pop record with a doom sound.

by artistxite