After their magnificent 2019 debut, Opium Doom Cult, a band comprising the two former Beneath Oblivion members Allen Lee Scott (guitars, bass, samples) and Scotty T. Simpson (percussion), flanked, as in their previous work, by Rinaldo Yulfo (keyboards), are back. At the time, I expressed myself enthusiastically about Tremors to Signal the End on the virtual pages of MetalEyes, describing it as the perfect example of a hypothetical subgenre that could be defined as lysergic funeral doom. With this new Seer – Serpent – Sorrow, whose duration is nevertheless close to forty minutes spread over three tracks, the sound takes on a more reflective connotation, sometimes bordering on ambient, led by delicate guitar work, only to become heavier from time to time thanks to a riffing that is always incisive and inspired. The first two tracks, Seer and Serpent, are united by a substantial compositional continuity, while the concluding Sorrow, in deference to its title, flows in a more anxiogenic manner, but at the same time with more melodic connotations and fragments of robust, ripping doom metal. This second work by Opium Doom Cult is a display of astounding compositional quality on Scott’s part and, despite a mostly quiet pace, manages to etch itself with great evocative power into the listener’s imagination.

2022 – Independent