A review of BOTTOMLESS "The Banishing"

 

BOTTOMLESS

"The Banishing"

Dying Victims Productions 2023

 

Let's now take another look into the office of Dying Victims Productions, as there the second album from Italy's Bottomless is already waiting for us. It is known that this label specializes in releasing classic Metal art forms, so with 99% certainty one could guess that "The Banishing "will also fit into its profile. Well, and indeed it does. The Italian trio is making traditional Doom Metal based on the canons of the genre, and one has to admit that what they brewed on this album tastes really good. "Exile" is, in a sense, an audit of this classic genre, but at the same time it is also anauthentic celebration of the past referring to the standards of Heavy Rock, and Doom and Heavy Metal. However, this is not blind imitation or dependence on the style of the old gods. Bottomless are definitely going their own way, which, however, runs very, very close to the stylistic paths set long ago. So we can hear clear echoes of the work of Black Sabbath, Trouble, Pentagram, or Saint Vitus, the vibes of early The Obssessed, or the feel of the first Candlemass productions, and even distant echoes and shades of Manilla Road. It has an unabashed heaviness to this music, and at the same time it is characterized by punchy, pulsating, Heavy Metal melodies, Blues accents, and a coolness and a certain austerity of content, as well as form, characteristic of the late 70s and early 80s. Thus, the album is full of dense, tarry rhythms, heavy melodies, memorable refrains, classic harmonies, almost didactic rhythmic chords, and clean, strong, vibrating vocals with an unhappy, sombre aftertaste of bitterness and doubt. A really good album, the greatest strength of which is that, although it is based on established, conventional schemes of the genre, it retains its individual cut, thanks to the dedication and characteristic methodology of the band's work. A really good album, kept in the atmosphere of classic Heavy/Doom, which I can confidently recommend to all, maniacal followers of classic forms of heavy playing. If anyone who appreciates tradition feels disappointed after listening to "The Banishing", it's a sign that they need to switch to growing peppers.

 

Hatzamoth