Zaum – ‘Divination’
Album Review By Adam McCann
I Hate Records/Doom Metal
Within their short existence, Zaum have created an excellent world within the rich-jungle scape of the Indian sub-continent; albums such as ‘Oracles’ and ‘Eidolon’ have built a solid reputation for the band. This year has the masters of psychedelic mantra doom return with their third album ‘Divination’.
Fans of Zaum will be happy to know that ‘Divination’ picks up almost exactly where ‘Eidolon’ left off. However, last year, Zaum acquired Nawal Doucette into their fold who brings her Egyptian ancestry to the doom stage. Doucette’s visual direction and conductive ambience has added an unsettling undertone to Zaum’s music and it works exceptionally well. These tones add a fluidity to the music and whilst tracks such as ‘Relic’ centre around a swirling repetitive motif in the psychedelic style of Hawkwind, Zaum push this beyond with an expansive sound that would appeal to fans of Om, Bong, Yob and even Sleep. Yet, whilst the heavy guitars combine with the crushing drums driving the trio of songs forward; the enjoyable part to ‘Divination’ is that with each listen, there is something else that becomes audible, soundscapes of various ethnic instruments all bubble to surface, before slinking back into the abyss to create a fantastic overall atmosphere.
2019 has been an excellent year for doom so far and for those looking to add some expansive doom into their collection, look no further than ‘Divination’.
Rating : 80/100
MHF Magazine/Adam McCann
