The words "old school doom" may strike fear in the hearts of those who like their dark and dismal grooves leaning more towards the blacker, more extreme edges of the genre but for us who were schooled on the proto-doom of Black Sabbath through the fledgling traditional doom of Candlemass and Count Raven to the sounds of today's Pallbearer, Dopelord and their ilk it is manna from heaven (or on reflection .. hell).
Exist Among, a trio from New York consisting of Kaiser -Guitar/Vocals, Mojo -Drums and Casey-bass, re kindle those heavy grooves of dark melodic intensity from the past, mixing them with elements of today's gnarlier modern doom and present them, to us the faithful, laid out on the altar of their debut self-titled album "Exist Among".
"Exist Among" is an album that pulls together all the threads of doom's many genres and sub-genres and weaves them into a tapestry of groove that is very much of the present but one that also acknowledges its past.The band, over the span of the seven songs that make up "Exist Among", call into play all those "old school" values of atmosphere and melody and blend them in with the grizzlier, harder elements of "modern" metal and doom to create a sound that will appeal to fans of both "schools" . Exist Among readily admit to being influenced by the past masters of doom but also cite the likes of alt/grunge rockers Alice In Chains and thrash monsters Slayer as integral in shaping their overall sound. Whether these influences are obvious ones is debatable but on songs like "Final Out" and "World In Shit" and the excellent "Walking Zone" there can be found touches of other genre colouring and texture bubbling latently under the surface, not obvious but there all the same.
If your a doom fan looking for an album that walks a fine line between the old and the new then you cannot go far wrong by giving "Exist Among " a listen.
Check it out .....
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