Desolate Realm hail from Finland's capital, Helsinki. This duo features vocalist/bassist of stoner/doom metal band Altar Of Betelgeuze and death metal act Decaying, Matias Nastolin, and Decaying's drummer Olli Törrönen. As the band's name suggests, it is time for some dark doom/heavy metal.

Desolate Realm are more modern, so to speak, doom metal when compared to Black Sabbathy output of AoB. DR draw from bands such as Solitude Aeternus, Candlemass and Mercyful Fate, so the term "modern" does not refer to this millennium, really. Still, DR have been able to bring forth their individuality. While some pieces are more on the doomier side, there surely are no cheerful vibes present during these 27 minutes. The guitar tone is hefty, and the riffs consist of edgy lower chugging and more high-pitched sawing and (open) chords added. There's some times second guitar track added. At their best, the riffs can be well catchy. Lead guitar melodies are utilized at times, and solos, nimble at fastest, fit well into processions.

All the vocals are clean and are the main aspect for melodiousness of the music. Their tone is grave and a tad gruff, but they also hit higher notes, or even very King Diamond-ish falsetto frequencies (like 5% of the vocals). They are stark and vibrant, very much perfect for doomy heavy metal. The lyrics evoke images of fantasy (adventures and magic) and also ponder about fake prophets and isms.

The bass guitar mostly follows guitar, and is somewhat left in the dark. Bulky drums patch up the low frequencies department quite a lot. The pace of the music varies from slow-ish (e.g. the doomier opener) to faster, heavy metal handbanging paces. It never gets to funeral paces, though. The production is very good with modern punch, but is very organic, making instruments and vocals sound totally natural.

The band have recorded their debut album already, so keep your eyes and ears open, if their take on doom/heavy metal strikes home. This debut EP is a fine piece of ageless gloominess, and should be investigated by doom/heavy metal aficionados.

Rating: 7½ (out of 10) ratings explained

Reviewed by Lane
03/01/2021 16:37