Clouds – Desprins

Clouds
Desprins
Label: Loud Rage Music
Out: February 13^th, 2025
Playing time: 47:12, with Bonus-Tracks 01:02:22

Clouds were founded in 2013. Originally from musicians in the United Kingdom and Romania. And since then, the musicians have been playing atmospheric Doom/Death Metal. Meanwhile, the band is obviously a purely Romanian act. In addition to classical Metal instruments, flute and violin can also be heard. Albums have been released regularly. ‘Desprins’ is the band’s seventh studio album.

‘Disguise’ starts slowly with piano sounds. Shortly after the flute enters the instrumentation, you can hear abysmally evil growls. Alternating with ethereal clear vocals. ‘Life Becomes Lifeless’ continues in a calm and contemplative manner. Spoken or rather whispered words are accompanied by electric piano and strings. Later, the flute comes to the fore a little more. Although the double bass can be heard, the tempo does not increase. As if it wasn’t contemplative enough, the tempo is slowed down a little on ‘Unanswered’. Once again, electric piano, flute and string tapestries play a major role in determining the sound. And so, it continues in a lively or rather contemplative manner. Clouds also remain true to themselves on ‘Forge Another Nightmare’, ‘Chain Me’ and ‘The Fall Of Hearts’. Slow, sustained-sounding melodies, in which the flute usually leads the melody, and of course the alternation of growls and clear vocals. Discreet guitar sounds can also be heard from time to time. The string tapestries are a permanent companion. ‘Will It Ever End’ is the regular closing song. The bonus part with ‘Sorrowbound’ and ‘Chasing Ghosts’ is fifteen minutes long. The musicians take a lot of time to develop the sound of their songs. Both songs are characterised by melodic guitar solos. It’s certainly not too often that the bonus material is the highlight of an album for me.

‘Desprins’ is a Funeral Doom Metal album for connoisseurs. Calm, contemplative. Apart from the growls and some guitar parts, the quiet tones dominate. Fans of the genre can hear many subtleties if they listen carefully. But the deceleration also means that many perceive the album as lengthy, even boring. Opinions will probably differ on this point. Personally, I would have liked the guitars, bass and drums to be a little heavier.

Clouds – Life Becomes Lifeless: https://youtu.be/-AcNaT4evF8?si=6uyBrd6QkHwtaf1H

Lineup:

Daniel Neagoe – Drums, Vocals
Alex Costin – Bass
Mihai Dinuta – Guitars
Andrei Oltean – Flute
Casian Vlad – Drums
Alex Gheorghe – Guitars
Corina Gheorghe – Violin

Track list:

• Disguise
• Life Becomes Lifeless
• Unanswered
• Forge Another Nightmare
• Chain M
• The Fall of Hearts
• Will It Ever End
• Sorrowbound (Bonus Track)
• Chasing Ghosts (Bonus Track)