MOURNFUL CONGREGATION – The Exuviae Of Gods – Part II
July 1, 2023, a year ago
(Osmose Productions / 20 Buck Spin)
We gave Mournful Congregation's The Exuviae Of Gods – Part I EP a glowing 8/10 review back in August, and now the Australian funeral doom party-ruiners are back with its follow-up, three more songs of unbearably and unbelievably heavy doom.
I mean, check out stunning opener “Heads Bowed” for a look at how regal and stately doom can also be mind-numbingly heavy (the song is a re-recorded version of an old demo tune, proving this band knew what they were doing from an early age). It's a 12:25 opener that drips and oozes great, mournful melodies but never sacrifices heaviness, just like how the old masters did. It's an amazing, masterful journey of a song, and so is “The Forbidden Abysm”, which hits a bit leaner and meaner at 8:47, and has a glorious guitar solo tucked away under all the doom, to boot.
Huge, 18:39 closer “The Paling Crest” starts acoustic and wistful, first-album Cathedral vibes heavy, and when everything comes crashing in, man, this could move mountains; when they bring it down again during this huge song, they create a very moving, delicate sound. When this climaxes and slogs through its conclusion, wow, this is cinematic, this is massive, this is powerful. Also: this is songwriting.
Few do this strain of doom as expertly as Mournful Congregation, and both these EPs are well worth spending some time with, as soul-crushing as they are.
