I first heard Procession on the re-release of their debut EP, The Cult of Disease, and I liked it a lot. For 2013, Procession gives us To Reap Heavens Apart, six songs of weighty, melodic Doom Metal. The band have lost none of their flair for the epic and one need only listen to the title track in all its powerful glory to hear what this band is capable of. Thick, fuzzy guitars and haunting melodies are masterfully combined. The vocals are cleaner this time around, more in the Messiah Marcolin mold and less gritty. I don't dislike them, but I enjoyed the rawness of the singing on The Cult of Disease. The rest of the songwriting on To Reap Heavens Apart is a bit more formulaic as well and songs like "Death & Judgment" could easily fit on any 80s Candlemass album. That shouldn't scare anyone off, however, as Procession does the slow, soul-crushing dirge as well as any.
To Reap Heavens Apart doesn't really move Procession forward in any way but neither is it a step backward. This Chilean band knows Doom Metal and honors it by playing with skill and conviction.
