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| Cool At War with Satan inspired artwork |
We are the Acolytes of the Temples of Moros!
The Swedish trio is back with a demo after a pretty decent EP released in 2013, I've been expecting a full length release and I believe they're working on it right now. Currently independent, that self released tape was released to gauge the interest of labels worldwide. It would be quite a shame if they're not signed anywhere since it's pretty damn great doom metal that have nothing to envy to well known bands and are quite better than some of the current big names (cough Pallbearer cough).
Related to Anguish (signed on Dark Descent), their brand of doom is much more subtle and ethereal. While I sort of like the Celtic Frost mixed with Candlemass sound of their Uppsala brothers, Acolytes of Moros doesn't need to rely on ultra heavy riffing to get their point across. The spirit of true doom metal is way more overtly present here and you can feel that it's the real and honest project of Christoffer Frylmark (bass, vocals) and Rasmus Jansson (drums) who are merely glorified session members in Anguish. If you expect blistering and rumbling riffs from doom metal, you should perhaps listen to sludge, stoner or death metal since that's not the core of the genre for me and it's the same ideology these guys. It's dark, brooding doom with a blackened approach and while the demo has a cohesive approach, the two songs are showcasing two different sides to the band. Both sides fit the mythology of Moros effortlessly, he supposedly was the spirit or god of depression, deathly fate or a desire driving humans to a their end.
The first track, “Venerate the Dead” written by the guitarist Simon Carlsson highlights the proggy doom influence of Revelation, that excellent American cult band while the second track “Quotidian” succeeds at mixing Burzumish shadows with Warning and Reverend Bizarre. Combining the odd, charming repetitiveness of the legendary Finn doomsters with the fragile emotional depth of the sad Englishmen, it's a wonderful song.
Compared to Illusions of Progress, the two tracks demo keeps the same songwriting structure. We get long, river like songs clocking both at more than ten minutes and that's perfectly fine in my book. Some would argue that they need to edit their material but not me. With that length, you can throughly develop your ideas and use the time-slot to expand on hypnotic riffs and be patient. They're also one of these bands who aren't afraid to give a rightful place to the bass, as it should always be with doom bands, it's thundering and a true brother to the guitar.
Even though their riffs are super good, Christoffer's vocals are possibly the best aspect of Acolytes of Moros. From clean and powerful Gregorian/operatic vocals to some gloomy harsh vocals giving the band a dark depressive vibe. Once the band gets a better/studio production, that guy will really shine and he'll receive a lot of praise. The lyrics are also quite well written albeit dispiriting and bleak as hell, the lyrics of the first track written by a friend of the band are a bit more memorable and interesting though. Evoking majestic nature and ancient times with a dark aura, it fits their music like a glove. It's fun for bands to have some guest lyricist since, well, many metal musicians are hardly eloquent.
Can you hear her whisper the stories of our ancestors? Listening unlocks the secrets of ageless wisdom
The ancient snow-clad mountain slopes are an abode of souls / Drifting under the cerulean skies
Acolytes of Moros simply writes high caliber doom and labels should notice them. Even though it's music for the real aficionados of the genre, I feel they could appeal to a lot of metal fans if their material could get some more recognition/distribution/presence. The tape is unfortunately sold out but it's free/pay what you can on their Bandcamp so there's no excuses!
Get the demo on Bandcamp
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