The whole concept of deathened doom, blackened death, doom-influenced black metal, etc., has become so nuanced in the underground scene that it has almost become a joke — it's so easy to throw "blackened" onto the front of your band's genre to make it sound darker and more mysterious, and it's a temptation that a lot of bands fall prey to. But for Creeping, there really isn't a better way to describe their odd and hard-to-pin-down sound than to acknowledge the blackness, the death metal influence and the doominess of their latest recording, Revenant.
This latest offering is only five tracks long, but clocks in at a decent length due to the epic dirges they write. Each song is structured similar to classic death metal, but slower, angrier, and with more bleak, hopeless sentiment, hence the necessity of using multiple genre tags to define their sound.
The first song, "Death Knell Offering," couldn't be any more aptly titled, as it sounds much like a dirge anthem for the burial of some forgotten wretch in some obscure corner of Europe. It builds, it growls and it suffers. The rest of the record goes on in much the same fashion; the highlight are the third death anthem, "Cold Soil," for its immaculate guitar work, and the closing title track. Somehow, the record leaves listeners feeling simultaneously hypnotized, barren and cold, as well as entranced, invigorated and pummelled by pure metal fury.
The group hail from New Zealand, and they plan to do some distro in America through Daemon Worship Productions, as well as their label back home, Iron Bonehead. The American release promises alternate art, so the true doom nerds can have a heyday collecting both versions.
(Iron Bonehead)This latest offering is only five tracks long, but clocks in at a decent length due to the epic dirges they write. Each song is structured similar to classic death metal, but slower, angrier, and with more bleak, hopeless sentiment, hence the necessity of using multiple genre tags to define their sound.
The first song, "Death Knell Offering," couldn't be any more aptly titled, as it sounds much like a dirge anthem for the burial of some forgotten wretch in some obscure corner of Europe. It builds, it growls and it suffers. The rest of the record goes on in much the same fashion; the highlight are the third death anthem, "Cold Soil," for its immaculate guitar work, and the closing title track. Somehow, the record leaves listeners feeling simultaneously hypnotized, barren and cold, as well as entranced, invigorated and pummelled by pure metal fury.
The group hail from New Zealand, and they plan to do some distro in America through Daemon Worship Productions, as well as their label back home, Iron Bonehead. The American release promises alternate art, so the true doom nerds can have a heyday collecting both versions.
