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CD review: 'In Light of Dark Days' - Gorger's Metal

Irish The Crawling simply call their musical direction “slow death”, something that feels very adequate. If we were to push the trio into a conforming pigeon hole it would be most natural to resort to death/doom.

The trio, formed last year, serves three tracks from 4.5 to 8.5 minutes, and ends up with a total of just over 19.

After some initial calm and discouraged seconds the band shows teeth. The atmosphere is not only mournful, the band also clearly shows displeasure and aggressive aversion.

While grief-stricken guitar tones and deep bass mourns others obliteration and its own tribulation, hard, resounding riffs, fierce drums and infernal vocals swear revenge.
The songs don't invent the wheel anew, but that doesn't matter as long as one creates such good main melody lines, eking with secondary melodies, tempo changes, variety and everything that the available ingredients can offer. The three songs are very good.

Each instrument can basically be highlighted. Much thanks to the delightful production. The guitar works is elaborate, and the strings reverberate. The bass is a little bit in the background, but it's there, and the sound would have been poorer without it. It doesn't rest even when everything else quiets down, and thus shines clearest in the calmest moments.
The drums are competently performed with good variation. The pace may be meek and sorrowful, but we're also served striking blast beats. The vocalist is a find on his own. With just the right deepness in the growls to sparkle with furious hatred and disgust. Not to mention those black screams, full of heartbreaking suffering.

If the Irishmen are able to repeat this feat on a full length album, I'll rather treat them to the highest grade.Fans of British misery, and perhaps especially the compatriots in Mourning Beloveth, should take heed.

Rating: Skeleton hand thumbs up +

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