Description

Lords of Mercy is the debut full-length from Italian doom trio Doomraiser. Although they claim to perform drunken doom metal and possess a delicious, deliberate looseness, only the eternally naive would believe they were drunk when they entered the studio — but they probably were when they came up with the band name, which suggests a serious lack of imagination. Vocals are comparable to Ozzy, in having a similar detached and chilling quality, but far more competent and sans the nasal whine. The vocals complement the music perfectly, whether they are indulging in grooving riffage, slow mournfulness or just catchy downtuned riffs, all whilst the drummer frantically bashes the cymbals. It tends towards the downbeat, but far from gloomy; and with riffs this catchy, why should anyone care? Although there is nothing particularly original here — certainly not for those raised on Saint Vitus, Candlemass or other traditional doom projects — Doomraiser’s arrival is nonetheless welcomed, simply because they do such a damn good job of reinventing the proverbial (doom) wheel.

Track listing:
1. The Age of Christ
2. The Old Man to the Child
3. Doomraiser
4. Metamorphosis
5. Doomalcoholocaust