Something wicked this way comes from the Italian cemeteries, Gargoyle are a young doom quartet who hail from the land of mystery and it’s very clear that they worship at the musical altar of Italian occult/doom pioneers Death SS and Paul Chain as well as more recent practitioners of dark horror doom, Abysmal Grief.
This debut release has all the essential ingredients that make those aforementioned bands so special and unique sounding; there’s a mysterious atmospheric vibe, sinister occult influences and it all sounds like it could have been recorded in a creepy ancient crypt somewhere in the darkest depths of their homeland. It is quintessentially Italian sounding, they have continued the tradition in fine fashion and perfected a style that cannot seem to be replicated as effectively anywhere else in the world.
The production is basic and old school; no drum triggering or sampling in sight and the guitars have a devilishly dirty tone to them. This is as stripped down as you can get, so much so the bare bones are showing… but that just adds to the dark and eerie charm of this recording even more.
The riffs ooze Sabbathian heaviness, mixed with an eerie old gothic horror feeling but there is also a definite early Cathedral vibe, especially in the vocals, which bring to mind the tortured growls and moans of Lee Dorrian in his band’s demo and first album days.
This would be the perfect soundtrack to a slow motion funeral procession through a musty cobweb filled dimly lit catacomb.
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