Word to the wise: Never, ever assume you've heard it all. After wading through countless no-name SABBATH rip-offs, along comes a true doom metal standout in the form of Finnish trio GARDEN OF WORM. Theirs is a sound that constantly teeters on the line between atmosphere and catchiness, serving as both a testament to the genre's archetypes and something fresh and exciting.

As one should probably be able to deduct from the nightmarish album art, the band's self-titled debut is not the type of album to take your sweetheart out for a picnic by. The opening riff of "Spirits of the Dead" oozes thick like molten lava burning through the ear canal before we're introduced to the zombified Liebling-esque vocals of Sami Harju, with harmonies as cold and foreboding as the snow-covered band photo on the back of the CD. Speaking of Liebling and PENTAGRAM, "The Ceremony" has a bit more of an upbeat "Living in a Ram's Head" feel to it, along with some of the most powerful guitar harmonies and vocals on the whole record, before slowing to a near-halt in the song's second half. This leads us into "Rays of Heaven," easily one of the most hauntingly beautiful acoustic interludes in recent memory. Then, the sloth-like "The Black Clouds" puts listeners to sleep with nearly a full minute of electronic buzzing and feedback before knocking them out of their chairs with a raucous 6/8 "Children of the Grave" style romp. From there, the melancholy harmonies of "Psychic Wolves" give it a bit of a folk feel, and the narration of "The Alchemist's Dream" uses heavy metaphor to explore the forbidden realm of the arcane. Finally, the 10-plus-minute "Hollow" is the album's most depressive moment both musically and lyrically ("Locked away you see this world / through alcohol poisoned obscurity"). Like we said, this ain't the album to use as the soundtrack to your next tea party. On the other hand, doom fanatics who are looking to wipe away what little sense of happiness they have left in their lives will find this GARDEN to yield quite a bountiful harvest.

- Cardona

OFFICIAL SITE: myspace.com/gardenofworm

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