This is a real surprise, as it always is when a real first-rate album come to me unannounced and unexpected. This is the debut album for Chilean Doom band Procession, and it is far and away the best Doom album I have heard this year. Most Doom I get these days is either mopey Goth music or half-assed Doom/Death, but Procession play metal-to-the-bone Classic Doom in the Solstice or Candlemass tradition without a hint of stoner rubbish or Sabbath-imitation to mar the greatness.
The closest touchstone for this is undoubtedly the Candlemass of old, as the towering, monolithic Doom riffs here have the fingerprints of Epicus Doomicus Metallicus all over them. The guitar sound is massive, the songwriting is epic, and the hooks will never come out of your skull. Guitarist/Vocalist Felipe Kutzbach has a tall order here, and he comes through with a surprisingly raw, haunted performance. Rather than an operatic style, he has a clean, emotional voice with little in the way of pro polish but plenty of power and feeling. The vocals complement the music perfectly, calling to mind Scald with their haunting, far-off quality.
Everything about this is just cool, from the badass cover to the super-doomy song titles, and then you crank it up and you get this powerhouse album that just crushes the fuck out of everything. A splendid debut from a band with enormous promise.
