A towering work of staggering magnitude, LATITUDE EGRESS' To Take Up the Cross breathes new life into the often-stagnant body of doom metal. Clean-vocalled doom commingles with funeral doom, shape-shifting along the way while never settling too safely within one or the other, and wholly avoiding any retrograde stoner/sludge elements. Befitting of its title, To Take Up the Cross is imbued with massive amounts of melody, but a rainy 'n' grainy sort that suitably lends a sinister air to proceedings; its march is almost monastic, solemn and sworn to solitude.
Although the band's debut, LATITUDE EGRESS is no newcomer. The album was originally meant to be released by Licht Erlischt, the band of mainman Nerrath who released two albums under that banner before changing monikers to LATITUDE EGRESS; the project, however, had been renamed, partially in order to dissociate itself from contemporary DSBM trends. What results is a full-length sensory experience that illuminates the darkest corners of the mind and flushes out the rare and radiant spirit of mental unsteadiness being rooted in loss, love, longing, and fear, yet is NOT suited for those looking for self-pitying musicianship or suicide as a romantic concept. Finished off by front-cover artwork bespeaking its contained themes, To Take Up the Cross will soon be spoken of as a Year Zero event in doom, and a total paradigm-shifter.
Although the band's debut, LATITUDE EGRESS is no newcomer. The album was originally meant to be released by Licht Erlischt, the band of mainman Nerrath who released two albums under that banner before changing monikers to LATITUDE EGRESS; the project, however, had been renamed, partially in order to dissociate itself from contemporary DSBM trends. What results is a full-length sensory experience that illuminates the darkest corners of the mind and flushes out the rare and radiant spirit of mental unsteadiness being rooted in loss, love, longing, and fear, yet is NOT suited for those looking for self-pitying musicianship or suicide as a romantic concept. Finished off by front-cover artwork bespeaking its contained themes, To Take Up the Cross will soon be spoken of as a Year Zero event in doom, and a total paradigm-shifter.
