Album titles do not always actually correspond to their content but, in this case, it is safe to say that God Disease‘s second full length entitled Apocalyptic Doom absolutely hits the mark. In fact, the work of the Finnish band, although it can be traced back to death doom, is nevertheless offered in a version that is far from the usual stylistic standards of that country, since it is almost completely devoid of melodic outlets and is much more based on an oppressive and obsessive impact; this happens especially in the second part of the work, considering that the first two tracks, Ashes and Built by Dead Hands, which were also those previewed on bandcamp, appear slightly more direct. On the whole, it must be said that the approach of the Helsinki trio (Henry Randström – bass, Ilkka Laaksonen – vocals, Mika Elola – drums) is appreciable precisely because it does not seek shortcuts to reach the listener, preferring a frontal yet enveloping impact, and to do this God Disease, who do not have a guitarist in the line-up, rely on the couple formed by Samantha Schuldiner and Are Kangus of the Italian band (but now based in Estonia) Ferum. Thus, approaching the work of Finnish death doom bands is not always synonymous with poignant melodies and big atmospheric openings; God Disease remind us that, after all, life out there is by no means pleasant, and neither are the themes addressed in this album in which, beyond the title, scenarios are depicted as always that are anything but reassuring for humanity in the broadest sense. Apocalyptic Doom is an album of great depth, deserving to be listened to and dissected, even though it is certainly not among the most usable proposals one can approach in this subgenre in recent times.

2023 – Gruesome Records