Subrosa

Ushering doom and sludge metal into fresh territory is a daunting task. Many bands either run from it with their beards between their legs or struggle to find some fresh avenue, winding up sucking outright. In the case of Salt Lake City's Subrosa, these freaks have managed to create something that blossoms naturally, as demonstrated by latest work No Help for the Mighty Ones. Embracing the haunting bleakness of black metal, but never letting such silliness as staccato plunking and pointless screams penetrate the atmosphere, they instead opt for a more operatic approach akin to creating movements for each instrument. It's as if everyone contributes to the greater picture, as opposed to just learning the rudimentary riff. While that sounds like they adhere to funeral doom, Subrosa are more about mysticism and eeriness over being cryptic and long for the sake of. While some of the songs do suffer from that mentality ― "Stonecarver" is an epic even Sunn O))) would yawn at ― their use of electric violins and drawn-out vocal patterns elicit a moodiness reminiscent of early Black Sabbath, a fuzzy grit the Obsessed would love and operatic airiness all their own.