THE SOMBRE "Into The Beckoning Wilderness" [CD, Digipak]
2019 - Doom/Death Metal from Netherlands
Detailed Description
THE SOMBRE is the work of Maurice de Jong, insanely prolific mainman of Gnaw Their Tongues, De Magia Veterum, Cloak of Altering, Hagetisse, Golden Ashes, and countless others. With THE SOMBRE, however, de Jong returns to his roots. Having spent his formative musical years in doom and doom -death metal bands (1989-1996: Atrocious, Cauteror, and Soulwound), de Jong now reimagines the sound of his youth: doom-death metal inspired by the "Peaceville Three" and other early '90s doom/death pioneers. THE SOMBRE's debut album, Into the Beckoning Wilderness, was released in June 2019 in a strictly limited edition of 50 CD-Rs, which sold out immediately, of course. Fans of both his work in THE SOMBRE and elsewhere, CHAOS RECORDS now will release a worldwide CD edition of Into the Beckoning Wilderness, and its megaton-heavy sadness is a perfect fit for the label. Indeed authentically evincing the sound and style of classic early '90s doom-death, as with any of de Jong's countless projects, it's his deft attention to dynamics and spaciousness - or, more accurately, the sense of space created among and within instruments - that elevates THE SOMBRE beyond a mere subgenre exercise. Likewise, while his subterranean roar is never in question, on Into the Beckoning Wilderness does the man pull at the listener's heartstrings with an anguished clean tenor, tastefully parceled out across the album's immersive 46-minute runtime. Whether one chooses to drown in their sorrows or be emboldened by them with a suiting soundtrack is up to each individual. THE SOMBRE will take you there either way as you head Into the Beckoning Wilderness...
