Marble Shades of Despair

Marble Shades of Despair is the debut album for this Russian Doom/Death outfit.  The album is very "even" in speed, about half way between slow and mid-paced and never really speeding up much, save for a passage or two.  As such, it is overall a little monotone - not in a bad way, but there isn't much in here that stands out from the rest.  The vocals are low Death-ish growls that barely float above the music, just blending in the ensemble.  There's some use of the keyboards, but it's rather discreet most of the time, and the most noticeable parts are when they're more like pianos than some kind of gimmicky keyboard sounds.  The guitar and drum work are just as sober as everything else here, very melodic and "restrained" to some extent.  Revelations of Rain's strength is in the atmosphere of their work, and that they definitely get right.  Marble Shades of Despair does indeed convey a dark, gloomy and somewhat desperate atmosphere that feels like a long rainy day, although some of the melodies do carry a little sound of hope - that's probably the best way to put it.  It's something that's been done before (what hasn't, really), but the band nailed it pretty well with a debut that flows like a calm river and just asks for repeat listens.  Good stuff.