Doomed – The Ancient Path

An one-man (Pierre Laube) Doom/Death project from Germany which is more in the Doom camp than the Death camp. No Asphyx influences here but more Shape of Despair to name a band. The sluggish riffs are as Doom/Death Metal as it can be but the big advantage to keep this album interesting are the melancholic Katatonia leads that are heavily present on “The Ancient Path”. A good use of sorrowful melodies. And I can’t forget the low growls of Pierre which gives Doomed a Bolt Thrower vibe. When you hear the song “Sun Eater”, you just expect to hear Pierre growl “Woooooorrrlllddd……EAAATTTTEEER”. An interesting and refined release but I’m also quite curious about Type O Negative’s “Wolf Moon” cover that was recorded for this album, but got canceled of copyright problems. At the end I’m surprised by the quality, especially by the leads/melodies, and I do understand why a label like Solitude Productions picked this band up. (Ricardo)