Doom Review: Angmodnes’ Rot of the Soul

ANGMODNES is a doom metal band that hails from Utrecht (The Netherlands). They formed in 2013 and released an album in 2022, titled, “The Weight Of Eternity”. Their next album, “Rot Of The Souls”, dropped on March 1st, 2024.

Angmodnes’ Rot of Souls

The opening vocal glory of the first track, “Beneath”,  literally made me shiver. Its solemn beauty is disarming, inviting you to step into a starlight clearing in a dark forest. So pretty, yet so ominous.

But you only get to live there for less than a minute before that scene is broken by a heavy guitar and drum invasion. After that, you trudge through the muck and mire with guttural screams and some mean, mean progressions that make fine use of tri tones.

Eventually, the guttural screams give way to more desperate, bittersweet cries from the amazing male vocalist that are gently supported by the haunting female singer who opened this nearly 12 minute story. There are whispered narrations and chimes and breakdowns to savor and feast upon. And that is only one song!

The rest of the tracks are no disappointment. WIth stunning time changes, the songs are journeys through darkness that keep climbing towards light. Double kick, incorporation of precise ride and crash cymbals, and brilliantly placed full stops make for a roller-coaster experience. I was beckoned to move, to tap, to sway.

The ethereal and ancient quality of the vocals across the entire album give this collection a timeless and saga like feeling. There is a story to be heard here, an epic tale for the audience to imagine. I had the chance to read the lyrics. With phrases like, “The mystery of grace is but a desolate wait…”, you get the sense of being offered poetry that’s lathered in fog and flames. There is so much to absorb from these strains, I had to listen a few times to be sure I had really heard them. 

One thing to note is the quality of the recordings. The mix is balanced, allowing the tones to come through beautifully on my JVC’s. These tracks would be a treat in some high quality earbuds. Note for note, time change for time change, and cry for cry, this is an album for musicians to be in awe of and the hearer to enjoy. 

I also got to view the video they made for the song, “The Hours”. Getting to watch the musicians playing their parts and see the passion of the vocalists in the bleak,dreary setting of this piece was quite a treat. This video is immersive and chilling. The musician in me was impressed, the writer in me was inspired, and the frisson-fiend in me was satisfied. My senses were delighted.

Angmodnes have built an album worthy of planning to take 55 minutes to just listen. The striking, alluring nature of their music felt very much like when I first heard Rafael Anton Irisarri’s, “The Shameless Years”, (If you haven’t hear Irisarri’s work, just fix that problem). I simply couldn’t do anything except give it my full attention. There was no folding laundry, or cooking, or lifting weights, just listening. And a little dancing. 

Do yourself that same favor, schedule an uninterrupted hour to hear and feel these symphony-esque tracks from Angmodnes. Take an intentional journey through sadness, allowing gloom to set in. But all the while, keep a look out for the glimmers of light, listen for the moments of hope that you will find among the daming bass tones, the dark guitar walk-ups, the sobering drum changes, and the ever inviting choral presentations. 

I hope you all can forgive my gushing here, but I am truly humbled by this album. I plan to have a listen party with my band so we can experience it together. I’ll probably make popcorn. 

Jypsy Froud, 3/7/24