Reviews: SODP152
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White Mare is a new melodic doom/death formation created in 2019 through the collaboration of Swiss musician D.G. (Duthaig, 3 Days Of Silence, Nightshade) and J.A. from Doomcult (hailing from The Netherlands). Later they were joined by T.W. (Nightshade), in time to perform drums in the recording of their debut album Isle Of Bliss, which is now set for co-release by Symbol Of Domination and Negre Plany on April 25th.
The new album was inspired by Homer’s Odyssey, and like its inspiration the music is epic in its scale and tragic in its moods. It’s a deeply moving and immediately memorable record that unfolds like a grand but harrowing tapestry. Even a single song from the album creates those impressions, and we have one for you in today’s premiere of “The White Mares’ Procession“.
In this new song the conjunction of ominous low-end undercurrents, heavy, scarring guitars, and a ringing piano melody quickly creates a dire and daunting mood. That union of deep, jagged heaviness and ethereal lightness is a continuing feature of the music, which uses the contrast to interweave varying moods — though all the moods are dark.
Moving at the pace of funeral doom, the music’s intensity varies, heightened by the wrenching torment of the harsh vocals, the clawing of the chords, and the vast sweep of the sorrowful high-end melodies. The words leave no doubt about the grief and misery that lies at the beating heart of the song as they narrate a tale of crushing loneliness and hopes repeatedly extinguished. But the bottomless despondency and harrowing agony of the music itself is unmistakable even without the words.
To be sure, there is beauty in the song as well, but it’s the beauty of cold alabaster, and a kind of beauty that also feels evanescent. There’s also a solemn and gloomy beauty in the ring of baritone singing that surfaces near the end of the song, when the music rises in reverence… before descending in desolation.
All in all, it’s a classic example of how a sure-handed band can create a magnificent haunting spell even with music that’s devastating in its portrayal of tragedy.
The labels rightly say that “fans of Saturnus, Doom:VS, and My Dying Bride will feel right at home here”. Check the links below, but also be sure to listen to the previously released song “Les Oiseaux De Proie”, a stream of which we’ve also included below.