Early Moods - A Sinner's Past (2024)

★★★★

After really loving their debut, I was thrilled to see this’d be coming out this year. Lo and behold, it’s great – stepping slightly away from the Pentagram influence and more towards an epic doom style akin to that of Candlemass! The riffs are just as sludgy and brutal as before, but one noticeable difference to me was the solos. The solo work was not at all bad on the debut, but the solos on here are just at a different level. They seem more thought-out and always fit the songs. Furthermore, the rhythm work is stepped up a bit as well, with more complex drum parts and a thundering bass underneath it all. As for the vocals, well, they’re stellar as always – Alberto Alcaraz has grown to be one of my favorite modern metal vocalists. He really seems to soar on this release, which offsets the impending doom felt across the record. My only complaint is length, with the album coming in at 50 minutes, but they use this extended time wisely and intentionally – overall great stuff!

FAVORITE TRACKS: "Last Hour," "Walpurgis," "Unhinged Spirit"

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Originally published in March '24 (Issue No. 2)