When the Deadbolt Breaks "As Hope Valley Burns: Eulogy"

    When the Deadbolt Breaks perfectly conjures up gloomy atmospheres and trippy instrumental compositions that leave you floating through a void of mind altering darkness on their new release, “As Hope Valley Burns: Eulogy.” Just in time for Halloween, this group of psychedelic doom metal musicians from Connecticut offers listeners an album that seems to draw inspiration from the haunting New England lore and lays down plenty of heavy mountain sized riffs of pure DOOM. 

    This is not just another doom metal band that drinks cheap beer, has members that look like Dog the Bounty Hunter and writes the same Sabbath "Vol. 4" like riffs for an entire album until you become completely bored to death. The band draws from a plethora of influences and composes their songs with a great deal of dynamic sounding arrangements. From clean vocals to the harsh vocals that sound as if someone has become completely enraged and ready to just throw down a vicious flurry of punches, the band provides very refreshing tracks that keeps you listening with great interest. Right away on the album’s opening twelve minute track,”I Live in the Dirt,” you are greeted with this monumental surge of distorted energy and massive sounding arrangement. The drums echo like thunder across the cold landscape bringing a juggernaut of rhythmic force. 

    On the second track, “Cleanse the Death,” there is a more sludge like approach conjured up to invoke this spectral sounding atmosphere. The overall riff may not be the most technically challenging sounding riff, however, the band is more focused on atmosphere and experimenting with a variety of haunting tones. On the album’s third track, “Gods Eyes,” there is more monstrous aggression thrown into the mix, which I think can appeal to those listeners who desire hard hitting meaty sounding doom riffs. 

    Honestly, the fourth song on this album, “Forever in the Fire,” is the real show stopper in my opinion. From the song’s solemn sounding beginning that lulls you into this utterly calm trance like state that is slowly scorched away by a firestorm of rage from the singer's harsh sounding vocal delivery. The guitar work throughout the track is sublime sounding and guitar effects create this sounds to capture your imagination, thus leaving you listening in true amazement as the song evolves. 

    For their final song on the album, the band offers listeners a cover song, “Not to Touch the Earth,” which was originally written by The Doors. I definitely liked how the band keeps the original song's frantic psychedelic sound, but also injects more haunting doom touches throughout the recording. I would best describe it as a cross between The Doors and Type O Negative, so you sort of get the best of both worlds. 

    “As Hope Valley Burns: Eulogy,” is an album that find conveys a variety of sounds and creative ideas which listeners will be able to take away. When the Deadbolt Breaks is a band that I personally find to be extremely fascinating and writes extremely solid pieces of music. Also, when experimenting with different sounds, one must still have the ability to bring every together, otherwise it ends up sounding like a boiling pot of garbage noise that would not get played on a public access network no matter much money the band's parents have to offer. When the Deadbolt Breaks is no where near that level of pond dwelling scum sucking humanoids, so definitely check this album out! 

The album is being released through Electric Talon Records/link below to bandcamp:

https://talonrecordsusa.bandcamp.com/track/cleanse-the-death