There truly doesn’t seem to be any limit with any style so long as it’s put in hands that are just as ambitious as they are capable, and such events are even more pronounced in the styles that don’t get to see the light of day often for one reason or another. I’ve long held the belief that post-doom is one of the last great untamed territories of the doom metal world that has yet to see the vast numbers of pioneers that virtually every other style has, yet that doesn’t stop some truly exemplary bands from coming upon its shores every so often. Ever since their first deliverance, Hemelbestormer has been a real act to know should anyone want to see what the ranges of post-doom can bring to the table, but it is single-handedly with their latest work that we have gotten a work that’s on another level entirely.
It can be quite often in many of the more atmospheric reaches of the metal spectrum that we find albums self-described as “cinematic”, but it’s only on rare occasion do we get a performance that manages to even come close to earning such a tag with only fraction of them actually earning such glamor. While Hemelbestormer does not attempt to inflate themselves with such a descriptor it’s with the very whole of “Collide & Merge” that they earn it all the way to the final fading moments of this massive 73-minute creation. It’s already with their mastery of post-doom that Hemelbestormer has made themselves a name for over the years, but it’s their continuation of a largely instrumental approach, with only one instance of vocals in these seven tracks for a few fleeting moments, that we really see the prowess of this band’s experience up to this point come to glorious fruition as this wonderfully talented trio weaves a gripping work that sinks its hooks deep in the very first minute. It’s an utterly gorgeous and meditative effort that paints a glorious picture before our very eyes that can only be likened to the overcasted skies over an ancient mountain range where we can either follow the clouds deeper into what the wonder from the world before has to offer or to sit and allow time to pass as it may, becoming one with all that has been and is. Whichever you pick, the very melodies and ethereal presence of “Collide & Merge” are brought forth to extreme effect as we not only witness Hemelbestormer deliver an album that’s massive in every regard, but a true display of mastery which stops for nothing with the very power that’s at play here only to be put in terms of tectonic proportions.
As the realm of post-doom slowly expands bit by bit as the years go on, it’s good to know of the real pillars of the style that are spread throughout the underground which don’t just keep it afloat but push it ever forward as they better themselves and thus the style as a whole with Hemelbestormer truly among some of the best we have the pleasure of choosing from. Should there be even a sliver of doubt for such a fact, it should be the very existence of “Collide & Merge” that should sway the hearts of many and utterly obliterate all those ignorant enough to stand in the way of such undeniable power.
LISTEN to “Collide & Merge” on Bandcamp here.
LIKE Hemelbestormer on Facebook here.
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