Abysmal Growls Of Despair/Sentir Le Poids Des Montagnes Et Trouver Le Paix Dens Les Tenebres/Blue Tapes/2019 CD Review

  France's  Abysmal  Growls  Of  Despair  has  returned  with  a  new  recording  which  shows  the  music  going  into  more  of  a  mixture  of  funeral  doom  metal,  drone  and  dark  ambient  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2019  album  "Sentir  Le  Poids  Des  Montagnes  Et  Trouver  Le  Paix Dens  Les  Tenebres"  which  was  released  by  Blue  Tapes.

  Distorted  sounding  drones  start  off  the  album  while  the  only  track  that  is  presented  on  the  album  is  over  an  hour  long.  At  times  the  music  also  gets  very  repetitive  with  the  same  riff  being  used  over  an  over  for  a  few  minutes  at  times  and  the  heavier  side  of  the  music  is  very  heavily  rooted  in  funeral  doom  metal.

  Throat  singing  is  also  brought  into  the  music  as  the  song  progresses  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  a  ritualistic  feeling. When  synths  are  utilized  in  the  background  briefly  they  bring  in  elements  of  dark  ambient,  as  the  album  progresses  the  vocals  start  getting  more  deep  and  cavernous  sounding  and  the  whole  album  also  always  sticks  to  a  slower  direction  from  beginning  to  end.

  On  this  recording  Abysmal  Growls  Of  Despair  remains  true  to  his  music  of  funeral  doom  metal, and  drone  while  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  dark  ambient  and  ritualistic  throat  singing  to  take  his  sound  to  another  level,  The  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  despair  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Abysmal  Growls  Of  Despair  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  funeral  doom  metal  and  drone,  you  should  check  out this  album.  8  out  of  10.

http://bluetapes.co.uk/product/blue-twenty-nine-abysmal-growls-of-despair

Abysmal Growls Of Despair/Worst Putrid Tongue/Symbol Of Domination Productions/More Hate Productions/2016 CD Review

  France's  solo  project  Abysmal  Growls  Of  Despair  have  returned  with  a  new  recording  that  continues  the  funeral  doom  metal  style  of  previous  releases  and  this  is  a  review of  his  2016  album  "Worst  Putrid  Tongue"  which  was released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Symbol  Of  Domination  and  More  Hate  Productions.

  Tragic  sounding  keyboards  start  off  the  album  and  after  a  minute  bass  guitars  kick  in  and  are  also  use  as  a  lead  instrument  replacing  traditional  guitars  as  well  as  adding  in  more  of  a  funeral  doom  style  and  the  vocals  are  mostly  deep  yet  guttural  death  metal  growls  and  the  atmospheric  and  heavy  parts  are  also  mixed  together.

  All  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  elements  of  ambient  can  also  be  heard  at  times  and  as  the  album  progresses  acoustic  guitars  are  also  added  on  a  few  tracks  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction.

  Abysmal  Growls  Of  Despair  creates  another  recording  that  remains  true  to  the  funeral  doom  metal  style  he  has  established  on  previous  releases,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  Sumerian  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Abysmal  Growls  Of  Despair  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  funeral  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Enlil"  and  "Enki".  8  out  of  10.

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Abysmal Growls Of Despair/Between My Dead/Satanath Records/More Hate Productions/Black Plague Records/2015 CD Review

  France's  Abysmal  Growls  Of  Despair  have  returned  with  a  new  album  continuing  his  mixture  of  funeral  doom   metal  and  drone  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2015  album  "Between  My  Dead"  which   will  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Satanath Records,  More Hate Productions  and Black Plague Records.

  A  very  dark  and  atmospheric  ambient  drone  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  reverb  noises  and  synths  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length   and  after  the  intro  a  very  heavy  bass  guitar  kicks  in  and  also   takes  the  funeral  doom  metal  direction  and  also  adds  in  death  metal  growls.

  At  times  the  music  brings  in  elements  of  90's  doom/death  metal  sound  and  the  songs  continue  the  tradition  of  previous  recordings  where  the  bass  guitar  is  the  lead  instrument  while  lead  guitars  can  also  be  heard  briefly  and  clean  playing  and  sound  effects  are  brought  in  briefly  and  on  the  last  track  brings   in  a  few  seconds  of  violins  and  the  whole  album  sticks  to  a  very  slow  musical  direction.

  Abysmal  Growls  Of  Despair   creates  another  album  that  remains  true  to  funeral  doom  while  also  adding  in  a  touch  of  drone  and  ambient  to  create  a  very  dark  and  heavy  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  misanthropic,  depression  and  despair  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  from  Abysmal  Growls  Of  Despair   and  if  you  are a  funeral  doom  metal  and  drone,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The End  Of  Previous  Life"  and  "Wake  Up".  8  out  of  10.  

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Abysmal Growls Of Despair/The Cold View/Songs Of The Deepest Skies/Frozen Light/2015 Split CD Review

  This  is  a  review  of  a  split  album  between  France's  Abysmal  Growls  Of  Despair  and  Germany's  The  Cold  View,  2  solo  projects  that  have  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  the  album  is  called  "Songs  Of  The  Deepest  Skies"  and  was  released  by  Frozen  Light  and  we  will  start  off  the  review  with  Abysmal  Growls  of  Despair  which  continues  the atmospheric funeral  doom  metal  sound  of  previous  recordings.

  His  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  atmospheric  sounding  synths  and  a  few  seconds  alter  a  very  heavy  sounding  bass  guitar  kicks  in  and  the  music  starts  going  for more  of  a  funeral  doom  metal  style  while  also  remaining  atmospheric  at  the  same  time and  after  a  few  minutes  deep  yet  guttural  death  metal  growls  start  becoming  a  huge  part  of  the  recording  and  all  3  of  his  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  they  also  stick  to  a  slow  musical  direction  throughout  his  side  of  the  recording  while  one  song  also  brings  in  a  brief  use  of  clean  playing,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  despair  themes.   

  In  my  opinion  this  is  a  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Abysmal  Growls  Of  Despair  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  funeral  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  his  side  of  the  split.  RECOMMENDED  TRACK  "Decay  Of  A  Man".

  Next  up  is  The  Cold  View  who  also  continues  his  mixture  of  drone  and  funeral  doom  metal  from  previous  recordings.

  His  side  of  the  split  starts  out  with  acoustic  guitars  which  also  gives  the  music  more  of  an  avant  garde  feeling  and  you  can  also  hear  synths  in  the  music  along  with  a  great  amount  of  drones  and  when  guitars  are  added  into  the  music  they  add  more  elements  of  funeral  doom  into  this  30  minute long  track  and  there  is  also  a  good  mixture  of  both  clean  and  heavy  parts while  the  vocals are deep  death  metal  growls  and there  is  also  a  great amount  of  percussion  work  being  utilized,  the  production  sounds  very dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  nature,  depression, darkness,  despair  and  loneliness.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  track  from  The  Cold  View  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  funeral  doom  metal  and  drone,  you  should  check  out  his  side  of  the  split.

  In  conclusion  I  feel  this  is  a  very  great  sounding  split  and  I  would  recommend  it  to  all  fans  of  funeral  doom  metal.  8  out  of  10.

http://www.thecoldview.com

http://thecoldview.bandcamp.com

http://abysmalgrowlsofdespair.bandcamp.com

Abysmal Growls Of Despair/Dark Days/Le Crepuscule du Soir Productions/Satanath Records/2014 Full Length Review

  Abysmal  Growls  Of  Despair  are  a  1  man  band  that  has  been  featured  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  very  atmospheric  form  of  funeral  doom  metal  with  elements  of  drone  and  this  recording  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  2014  album  "Dark  Days"  which  was  released  as  a  joint  effort  between  Le Crepuscule du Soir Productions  and  Satanath Records.

  A  very  dark  and  atmospheric  synth  sound  starts  off  the  album  which  also  brings  in  elements  of  ambient  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  a  more  heavy  funeral  doom  metal  sound  is  mixed  in  with  the  more  atmospheric  side  of  the  recording  along  with  some  deep  guttural  death  metal  growls  and  most  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length.

  At  times  spoken  word  parts  can  be  heard  in  certain  sections  of  the  recording  and  also  they  give  the  music  more  of  a  ritualistic  feeling  and  some  of  the  alter  tracks  also  bring  in  small  amounts  of  clean  playing  and  all  of  the  songs  stick  to  either  a  slow,  heavy  dark  and  atmospheric  sound  and  on  the  bonus  tracks  the  bass  guitars  start  adding  in  more  of  a  very  powerful  sounding  presence  while  on  a  later  song  a  small  amount  of  violins  are  added  onto  the  recording.

  On  this  album  Abysmal  Growls  Of  Despair  go  for  more  of  a  straight forward  and  atmospheric  approach  to  funeral  doom  metal  than  what  was  presented  on  later  recordings,  the  production  sounds  for  dark  and  heavy  while  the  lyrics  cover  despair  themes.

  In  my  opinion this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Abysmal  Growls  Of  Despair  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  funeral  doom,  you  should  enjoy  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Darkest  Thought"  "Solitude"  and  "Lost  Dreams".  8  out  of  10.  

http://abysmalgrowlsofdespair.bandcamp.com/album/dark-days 



      

Abysmal Growls Of Despair/Lovecraftian Drone/2014 Full Length Review

  France's  Abysmal  Growls  Of  Despair  returns  with  a  new  album which  shows  him  mixing  funeral  doom  metal  with  drone  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  titled 2014  album  "Lovecraftian  Drone".

  A  very  dark  and  distorted  sound  starts  off  the  album  along  with  some  drones  and  noises  and  after  a  couple  of  minutes  doom  metal  style  guitars  are  added  into  the  music  utilizing  mostly  open  notes  along  with  a  few  chords,  after  6  minutes  vocals  finally  find  their  way  into  the  music  and  they  are  mostly  done  in  a  growling  style.

  All  6  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  the  drones  have  a  very  dominant  sound  throughout  the  recording  as  well  as  making  the  music  have  more  of  an  experimental  approach  as  well  as  bring  very  atmospheric  at  times  and  the  album  also  remains  true  to  a  slower  musical  direction  throughout  all  of  the  tracks  and  after  awhile  the  music  starts  having  more  of  a  ritualistic  and  occult  feeling  being  evoked  in  certain sections  of  the  recording  and  at  time s the  vocals  also  have  some  screams  that  are  close  to  black  metal.

  Abysmal  Growls  Of  Despair   create  a  very  slow  and  dark  sound  that  is  closer  to  drone  on  this  recording  while  also  having  the  heaviness  and  riffing  of  funeral  doom  metal  and  all  of  the  songs  have  a  very  evil  and  ritualistic  atmosphere,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  are  based  mostly  on  the  writings  of  H.P  Lovecraft.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Abysmal  Growls  Of  Despair  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  drone  and  funeral  doom  metal,  you  should  check  out  this  recording.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Great  Old  Ones"  and  "Yog  Sothoth".  8  out  of  10.

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Abysmal Growls Of Despair Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?

Abysmal is a solo project of funeral/drone doom metal from France. With influences like illness, madness, sorrow and despair. No love theme.

2.In August you had released a new album how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from your previous recordings?

In this album I wanted to do something more drone, with deeper sound. But always keep the ambient elements, viola, piano and clean guitars.

3.On the new album, you had a couple of classical pieces mixed in a couple of your songs, can you tell us a little bit more about the decision behind adding this elements into a couple of your songs?

Once I wander on youtube I found a video which mix a song of khanate and Ave Maria. I found this mix so interesting and decide to do same idea on my songs. So I choose tow of my favorites classical songs, Pie Jesu from the Requiem of Gabriel Fauré and Moonlight Sonata from Beethoven.

4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your music?

I suffer from schizophrenia (since a long time) and my music is done to externalize my pain, hallucinations, and despair. I don't want to do lyrics about love and broken hearts.

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name ;Abysmal Growls Of Despair'?

I've heard many critic about this name … But I've wanted to say in one name the despair and the use of deep natural growls.

6.With this project you do everything solo, do you have this helps makes your music sound a lot more creative?

My friend Ben from Modern Funeral Art helps me a lot to become better sound engineer for my records and mixing. And I think I'll ask his help on mastering my future works.

7.Le Crepuscule du Soir Productions and Satanath Records re going to be re-issuing  'Dark Days', can you tell us a little bit more about this release?

Unfortunately there is a problem with the man behind Le Crépuscule Du Soir Production. Satanath records and I have lost the contact with him. We don't know what happened to him. We hope all is ok and wait.
So for the moment there is no date for the release.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of funeral doom metal?

I'm not really known but I think and hope there are more and more people in the time who like my works. And I'm still hope to comment and point of view to do better music in the future.

9.Are you involved with any other musical projects?

Yes, I have a solo project of brutal death metal Ursus Horribilis, and with this one I do also dark folk. I have a solo project of dark ambient Caelum Natus Ex Mortuus with many inspiration and help from my friend Mike.
I'm the growl singer in Ancient Lament, a new project of funeral doom. All the music, ideas and lyrics are by a serbian friend, Borgion Kron from Meskalith. An album will soon be released.

And growl singer and FX with bass player Dymetrodrone Extinct, friend from croatia, band named Morimus Funereus. Dymetrodrone Extinct is involved in many solo project as Dymetrodrone.

And finally I'm bass player, and FX in a very particular project Deth Desbromb, with a french friend. Not on the net yet.

10.According to the fb page you have a new album called 'Lovecraftian Drone' that you are working on, what can we expect musically once the album is released?

In deed, and this new one is done. I search a label which can be interested. It's a heavy drone album, with some little ambient element added. All lyrics are inspired by Lovecraft and there are some quote from his book. The growls change compare to the other album. There are 6 songs for a total of 1h30.
For now you can listen it on my youtube channel. Soon on bandcamp.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Of course lots of funeral doom band. But also many genre of metal, in particular metal extreme. Lots of Neo folk, classical, dark ambient. And also blues, and jazz.

For the bands : Funeralium, Shape Of Despair, too many funeral/drone band, Sunn O))), Vàli, Empyrium, The Gathering, Ufomammut, Denez Prigent, Howard Shore, Sigur Ros, ...

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

Nature, books, writing, walks, middle age.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Thanks man for your interest, and all reader and listener.

And thanks my dear psychiatrist, haha ...

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Abysmal Growls Of Despair/Abyss/2013 CD Review

  Abysmal  Growls  of  Despair  are  a  1  man  band  from  France  that  plays  a  funeral  form  of  doom/drone metal  and  this  is  a  review  of  his  self  released  2013  album  "Abyss".

  Dark  and  distorted  sounding  drones  start  off  the  album  along  with  the  sounds  of  wolves  and  after  a  few  minutes  heavy  bass  and  clean  guitars  are  added  into  the  music  and  after  awhile  guttural  growls  find  their  way  onto  the  recording  along  with  a  dark  atmosphere  being  utilized  in  the  background.

  All  of  the  tracks  are  very  long  and  epic  in  length  and  on  the  second  song  clean  singing  female  vocals  are  added  onto  the  recording  along  with  some  grim  vocals  in  the  background  which  also  have  a  black  metal  feeling  to  them  and  the  drone  elements  have  a  very  dominant  presence  on  this  recording  and  as  the  album  progresses  the  music  starts  utilizing  a  small  amount  of  keyboards  and  there  is  not  much  in  the  way  of  a  traditional  guitar  on  any  of  the  tracks.

  Abysmal  Growls  Of  Despair  creates  a  style  of  funeral  doom  without  having  a  traditional  approach  and  mixes  in  a  good  amount  of  drone  to  create  a  very  original  sounding  recording,  the  production  sounds  very  dark  while  the  lyrics  cover  desolate  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Abysmal  Growls  Of  Despair  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  funeral  doom  metal  and  drone  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  project.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Only  Dread  And  Flight"  and  "Calm  Despair  Hollow  Life".  8  out  of  10.

http://abysmalgrowlsofdespair.bandcamp.com/album/abyss