I really have no idea what to called this. This album really doesn't have any of those, besides the opening riff of "The Elder Race" and maybe one or two others, but not enough to make one think that it is doom or doom/death. Maybe I'm being picky here, but when compared to Psalm 9 which had come out three years before and had thrashy riffs AND slower doom riffs, it really doesn't fit in the same league. The riffs more or less sound like slowed down thrash riffs. This also really doesn't sound like much of a doom metal album. Well, I think thrash vocals is more suitable since these are more aggressive and more forceful. I believe that last.fm page on them says something like "hardcore-ish vocals". The vocals are NOT even remotely close to death metal vocals. The writing style of these lyrics doesn't fit into death or doom though, mostly because they sound angry and pissed off, not vile or hopeless. They lack the gore and guts and consist of anger, frustration, and most prevalent, being sealed in a torment filled fate with no reprieve. The lyrics also do not warrant this the death tag. Do note that I'm comparing this album to Scream Bloody Gore and other albums from the time period. The tone also sounds very close to thrash. They're almost entirely rooted in thrash metal riffing structures and styles, with the exception of tempo. The solos also sound nothing like death metal. The most primary of those being that none of the riffs on this album could be called death metal riffs. I digress, this album isn't doom/death for a variety of reasons. They simply aren't they're more akin to NWOBHM than anything else. It bothers me when people refer to Venom as black metal. I'm not sure when that term was defined, but I'll tell you it isn't that. The only fathomable reason is that the band was dubbed that genre when it wasn't really defined back in the 80s. Now, I can't really grasp why it is classified as "Doom/Death Metal" around here. Rockadrome is quoted as calling this an "80s classic doom heavy metal album." Even odder, I thought to myself, is how Metal-Archives has this listed as "Doom/Death Metal" as do many other place. Well I've listened to it many, many times since it first arrived in the mail and while I greatly enjoy the album, I have a bit of a bone to pick. After previewing "The Elder Race", I bought it and awaited its arrival.
Clearly inspired by the comic book, this seemed like a great fusion of the unknown horrors of Lovecraft and some form of possibly doom or thrash metal. The cover art struck a chord with me- the dark color scheme, the very out of place and very strange gargoyle sitting about as though it were a welcome pet, the hand lighting the candle ever so casually, and the title tucked away into the bottom of the whole package. About half a year ago, I was looking for something else to complete my order at rockadrome when I came upon this little gem.
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