Avgrunden – Den Fördömda Jorden (Ominous, 2011)

Avgrunden – Den Fördömda Jorden (Ominous)

 
Please tell me you remember Avgrunden’s last album, Gremorian Chants, because it was just fucking AWESOME (and now it’s up for free downloading). Well, the previous solo efforts of Victor have rounded out to a full four piece band, and this new album is slowed down, shifted from a doom drone to a more doom psych sound now. This time around it’s a concept album (title translated to “The Cursed Earth” I think) about “the great Nordic emigration to America in the 1800s.” Think Earth covering the Dead Man soundtrack, that’s what this is like. Absolutely enormous. Wide open, expanding to infinity, hulking, dusty, dark, and evil. Midnight in the desert, coyotes & Native American chiefs howling at the moon, resonant guitars making the walls of the Grand Canyon crumble, thundering drums splitting the earth in two. Gets in a serious groove sometimes and turns fucking heavy, beautifully doomed, delicate when it needs to be, but totally fucking epic the whole time. It’s about 75 minutes long and is non-stop amazing. It was released on tape by Ominous, which is now sold out, but I know a CD & digital version are on their way as well, perhaps also put out by Ominous? Who knows. I just know this shit is essential.