Month: January 2013

Another Ukrainian band is coming to the forefront of the doom death scene under the aegis of Solitude, and as it happened recently with their compatriots such as Embrace Of Silence and Narrow House, this can only be greeted with pleasure. Unfortunately, it was not possible to gather more detailed information about Mental Torment, so let’s leave it to the music on On The Verge… to describe their main characteristics. Maelstrom and My Torment, the first two real tracks after the short intro, show a creative songwriting, always looking for obscure and melancholic atmospheres without lingering too much in interlocutory passages that, often, those who have little or nothing to say tend to add with the only intent to lengthen the broth. An effective growl and a diluted guitar sound, constantly looking for the right melody to be embedded in oppressive atmospheres, are the ingredients that make On The Verge… a successful and convincing album. I can already hear some little voices in the background complaining about the lack of originality of the proposal of the band from Kiev, but the only possible answer is this: if someone shows the ability to create compositions able to excite and satisfy those who love this genre should certainly not be stigmatized because others have succeeded before in this intent, rather it should just be encouraged and thanked for that. Cold Rusted Flame and Tragedy are two other wonderful episodes that fit in the wake traced by Officium Triste (as rightly suggested by the scarce bio in my possession), while I agree less on the comparison with Mourning Beloveth and, above all, Saturnus, but I would mention instead, as a further and more likely affinity, the Frailty of the splendid Melpomene. On The Verge… is another very good example of death doom, performed with taste and competence, coming from the cold but prolific lands of the far east of Europe.

2013 – Solitude Productions