Brother Von Doom

Another in a long line of American bands paying tribute to the Scandinavian melo-death scene, Brother Von Doom nonetheless provide an entertaining, if somewhat piecemeal, inclusion to the canon. Similar in many ways to recent efforts from Darkest Hour, albeit considerable heavier, Relentless gallops along at a relatively fast pace for its duration, with the expected breakdowns thankfully few and far between, and a tad above average on the creativity chart. A triggered, yet bottom-heavy, mix renders the material fairly well on disc, and the group’s enthusiasm for the style is noteworthy. In an oversaturated style such as this, delivery is everything and Brother Von Doom deliver the standard genre conventions expertly and without error. The vocals are more mid-to-low range than is typical in the genre, which does increase the overall metalcore presence, although not to the point of irritation. While these positive elements are all well and good, the group’s similarity to the aforementioned Darkest Hour, as well as other acts such as Himsa and the Absence, prevents them from receiving a reservation-free recommendation, as those sick and tired of this approach will likely not have their opinions swayed. Solid, perhaps even worth a purchase, but don’t expect anything you haven’t heard before.