Warped Cross ‘Rumbling Chapel’
Album Review By Adam McCann
MDD Records/Psychedelic Doomcore
In the recent years, the doom and sludge genres have exploded in bands, all replicating at the rate of unhindered bacteria. One band which spawned from the primeval soup of Germany are Warped Cross; a band which deliver doom metal with touches of metalcore and psychedelia to create an interesting herbal blend and following their full-length studio debut album ‘Abbot of Unreason’ in 2016, the Saxony band are back with their sophomore album ‘Rumbling Chapel’.
It can’t help being noticed just how raw ‘Rumbling Chapel’ is. This is an album which is so raw; it is still wriggling and writhing and for those who like to keep their doom pure it is an almost perfect example of how to do this. Therefore, there are some exceptionally meaty riffs here and grinding melodies that fans of Crowbar and Down will find irresistible. However, what lets this album down are the vocals of Mike Mehner and funnily enough, the band know this, actively describing them as ‘pathetic’. Yet, acknowledging this does not absolve the band from what is actually a woeful performance that borders on being in tune and unfortunately, this hugely detracts from the overall nature of the album with its irritating delivery.
‘Rumbling Chapel’ is not for the faint hearted, there are some good riffs here, but it is difficult to fully enjoy.
Rating : 40/100
MHF Magazine/Adam McCann
