Review: Kin of Ettins - Tears For Lost Ages

Kin of Ettins, this Dallas, Texas based outfit that falls into the traditional dööm genre, I suppose. If you're asking yourself, what the föök is traditional dööm? Well I'll try to explain. Traditional dööm is usually slow and low guitars, ala Sabbath with clean vocals that are performed with a sense of anguish and despair. More often than not, boasting a piss-pöör, muddy sounding production. Pretty much as you expected, right?

"Tears for the Lost Ages" follows these rules to a T, not that that's a bad thing. This is some quality döömage. And really sets the mööd for a candlelit evening, or maybe kicking back in a dark rööm and thinking about the cobwebs in your mind. The disc kicks off with a little acoustic ditty that has me picturing evil leprechauns dancing madly backwards. On "Forge Fire and Below" the party begins. "Ravens Flight" has some crow samples at the beginning, as any good song with Raven in the title should. "Watchman and the Wanderer" kinda hits me like Cathedral tune, only even slower (if that's possible), not as aggressive, and none of that growling shit. The disc ends on another instrumental, a dedication to someone named Dexter. Whomever that is, I can only speculate.

The sound of the recording is very muddy and lo-fi. But I think it should be no other way for this somber and depressing piece of art. Sparking memories of cassette tapes and turntables. Lyrical content evokes images of Vikings with swords able to call upon animals to do their bidding. This could be a concept album, although I'm lost on what exactly the concept is. Regardless, it's an impressive debut from some new faces on the doom scene. If you're into bands like The Gates of Slumber, Saint Vitus, Pentagram, Solitude Aeturnus... etc, this is probably something for you to check out. I'll be keeping an ear on these guys to hear what comes next.

Reviewed by Adam Walsh

Website
Myspace
Brainticket Records
Red Hare Recordings

Track List

01. Forest of Sunlight and Shadow
02. Forge Fire and Bellow
03. Waking Memory (Mountains)
04. Raven's Flight
05. Watchman and Wanderer
06. Falcon Skies
07. Folkvang (Awake but Dreaming)
08. In Loving Memory...