Speaking of the Russians Crust one cannot help but notice how the trio from Velikij Novgorod is one of the best European realities as far as sludge death doom is concerned, so one could make a legitimate parallelism with the Portuguese Process of Guilt, compared to which, however, there are more melodic openings, despite the sound being characterised by a darkness and violence that is not to be underestimated. Wanderers is the fourth full length by this Artur Filenko-led trio, and it is inevitable to wonder whether the album’s moods are in any way connected to the situation in Russia today. Frankly, I don’t know whether the composition of the album took place before or after the start of the conflict, but in the light of the extreme heaviness of the sound and from reading the lyrics, a sense of despondency mixed with anger towards a humanity that does nothing to reverse what seems to be an inescapable process of self-destruction is nevertheless evident; this is a theme that is certainly nothing new, especially in the doom metal sphere, but it acquires further significance in the light of the context in which it is expressed. Having said that, Wanderers is one of the most disruptive albums released this year and fully confirms the good things Crust had already shown, especially with Stoic; if I were to take a manifesto track from the album, I would recommend listening to the deflagrating Beacon of Death, made even more merciless by black metal rhythmic outbursts. Remembering that the other two members of the band, Vlad Tatarsky and Roman Romanov, are also involved with Sönma, authors last year of a remarkable album such as Ether, one realises how talented these Russian guys really are and how much they have a flair for sounds that appear raw but, at the same time, know how to excite despite their violent impact. An album to listen to until your ears bleed…

2022 – Rotting Misery / Addicted Label