The Element "Dusk"

    Fans of progressive metal and impressive cinematic music videos might want to check out what The Element is doing right now. The American based band’s new single, “Dusk,” is burst of intense sounding metal with a technical flare that provides the most optimal soundtrack for the new music video.

    “Dusk,” which is the first single off their upcoming album, “From Sand-Part II,” is just the beginning of what these metal musicians have in store for fans. Their upcoming album will be produced and mixed by the well respected heavy metal producer, Jens Borgen, who has done work for bands like Arch Enemy, Symphony X, Paradise Lost and Devin Townshend. The music video for “Dusk” was shot by, Tommy Merry, who seems to know how to capture the essence of a song through film.

    All around The Element demonstrates great promise with “Dusk” and the track is a strong first single. The main guitar riff delivers an impactful punch while the keyboard provides a haunting atmospheric touch at times. There are a variety of creative compositions and dynamic arrangements throughout the entire song. Also, the vocals were well recorded to really compliment the instrumental compositions. I personally enjoyed the guitar and keyboard solo section which is very reminiscent to that of Deep Purple, Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force, Dream Theater and Rhapsody.

    In the end, if you are a fan of progressive metal and are looking for a band that does not cheaply throw something together, you need to check out The Element and their new single. I was quite impressed with the recording quality which I hope the band maintains on their upcoming album. Usually with prog metal I find bands get carried away with showing off how complex and technical they can write music. The Element stands out because they provide a solid balance of technicality and songwriting skills. Check out the video for the song below and you can buy the track via iTunes, Google Play, Beats, Amazon and CD Baby. Support the artist if you like their music!


The Element "Dusk" :

Mournful Cries "Debut Demo"

    Rising from the smokey filled confines of Iommi’s Vault, the music created by Mournful Cries will spread across the lands leaving behind haunting sounds of Sabbath like doom. The trio from Santa Rosa demonstrates their love of classic doom metal and Sabbath worship by crafting their own brand of pure no nonsense riffs of doom.

    I’ve know the members in Mournful Cries for a couple years now and I am quite familiar with their other groups. Drummer Alex Hernandez and guitarist/vocalist Luis Olguin played in one of my favorite sludge bands called Amnesia. Luis also plays bass in an awesome death metal band called Sepulchre which I recommend checking out. Bassist Matt Lasserre plays bass in a killer band called Scrape the Earth who I have seen live a few times.

    I enjoy hearing what new ideas the members in Mournful Cries have to bring to the table and this band demonstrates great promise on their debut demo. The two songs featured on the demo are, “Budlust” and “Evil Confessor.” The songs take on a variety of influences ranging from Witchfinder General, Saint Vitus, Trouble, Sleep, Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats and of course…Black Sabbath.

    Both tracks are solid offerings of doom with plenty of world consuming riffs from the black voids beyond. The intro to “Budlust” conveys a prog rock like flare and builds into a distorted jam of behemoth riffs and seismic drum parts. The song’s entire vibe pulls you in from start to finish as Luis hammers away at each chord while Matt and Alex maintain a strong rhythmic backbone. I personally like “Evil Confessor” just a tad more than “Budlust,” because the music contains a harder and more aggressive tone. Also, Matt lays down an impressive bass part during the intro that is very reminiscent of classic Sabbath songs.

    If you are a fan of doom metal you need to be on the lookout for more loud distorted Iommi like jams from Mournful Cries. I believe what makes this band standout compared to a lot of your other doom acts and even young up and coming metal bands, is that these guys are massive fans of the style of music they play. Through their enjoyment of doom metal they are able to write some extremely solid pieces of music. So crank it up and drop out of life with bong in hand and follow the smoke to Mournful Cries wicked sounding riff filled lands.

Check out the entire demo below: 

Mournful Cries FB Page:

https://www.facebook.com/MournfulCries/

Mournful Cries Bandcamp:

https://mournfulcries.bandcamp.com/