Doom metal isn’t always about cranking up your favourite Black Sabbath album, smoking a bunch of dope and then trying to imitate it. Some bands have taken that sound and pushed it further, they’ve added elements of sludge and stoner to push that noise beyond. One such band are Grave Lines with the British band back for the first time since 2018 with their latest album ‘Communion’.
As an album, ‘Communion’ is not about making the listener happy, this is a heavy dose of melancholy and gloom enticing the shadows which dance on the periphery at night to come out and play. Yes, those sludge and gothic sounds are there, but with ‘Communion’ Grave Lines bring a sort of experimentation with it which moves from reverb and echo laden spoken parts through to completely crushing, ear shattering filth as tracks such as ‘Sinensis’, ‘Broodsac’ and the monster ‘Argyraphaga’ drag with all the appeal of Neurosis, Eyehategod and Acid Bath. But yet, there’s something a little bit different here, this isn’t a band which use the gothic trope and dig into the likes of Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride, there’s an old-school goth vibe here as ‘Lycaenid’ wouldn’t be out of place on any Bauhaus or Killing Joke album.
Those who like their doom delivered in the traditional manner may balk at ‘Communion’, but Grave Lines have got something good going on here and anyone who likes their doom to push as many boundaries as it is able to will revel in this album.
