Confessor

After a ten year hiatus and the 2002 passing of guitar player Ivan Edward Colon, Confessor are poised to claim the success that has thus far eluded them. Playing an off-kilter, startlingly original strain of melodic doom metal that defies conventional classification, the group’s core sound, albeit with a few minor tweaks, has lost little to no impact in the years passed since their 1992 Earache debut, Condemned. Technically proficient, yet earthy and coherent doom riffing provide the foundation for Scott Jeffreys’ unsettling vocal range, which remains entirely melody-driven despite his ability to provoke melancholic emotion that rivals the most spine-chilling work of the genre’s finest growlers. Time signatures shift effortlessly, yet the groove is never once compromised. While not quite as convoluted and overwhelming as the debut, what Confessor have lost in pretension they have made up for with songwriting. A crisp, yet fittingly raw production further strengthens Unraveled, delivering the low-end necessary to counter Jefferys’ impassioned wail. While the lyrical content and general tone of the record suggest a traditional doom metal band, Confessor are a genuine oddity when measured up against their peers and, while not for everyone, are deserving of investigation for those with even a passing interest in unique, multifaceted heavy music.