Review Summary: Chilean 80's inspired, epic doom metal
Traditionally, doom metal had positioned itself as a condemnation of sorts to the thrash/speed metal of the 1980's. At a time when bands were obsessed with speed and guitar virtuosity along came a handful of bands that believed in the power of the almighty riff. Composing slow, brooding numbers with a dense, thick guitar sound that didn't overwhelm you with lightning speed but instead slowly suffocated you by siphoning out the remaining air. Now, seasoned metal heads most likely don't need the above's slight history lesson but it was provided to analogize how Chilean doom metal band Capilla Ardiente have arranged and recorded their debut LP Bravery, Truth and the Endless Darkness.
Like their doom forebears Candlemass, Saint Vitus, Solitude Aeturnus and Trouble, Capilla Ardiente play a traditional doom metal style that venerates those muddy, sludgy Black Sabbath riffs of heavy metal's budding era. Deciding not to play live for various reasons the band has instead focused their attention on arranging, composing and recording a massive first record. Like any good doom album, the riffs on this six track album are impermeable, plentiful and weighty--with added substance from main man Claudio Neira's bass work. Neira has stated that before the recording of the album they were looking for specific guitar tones and overall feel that some modern albums lacked, in other words they didn't want the album to have that polished, overproduced sound--and quite honestly, they have nailed it. The riffs come in like a ten ton hammer, time and time again. Heavy, condensed and distilled into pure doom metal glory. Although tightly packed, the riffs are spaced out by excellent lead guitar licks, melodies and solos along with pounding drum fills and war-like marches. Followed by the opening instrumental, "Nothing Here for Me" comes out of the gate gradually building momentum and atmosphere until yielding to an ambient middle passage that finally gives way to exceptionally executed closing minutes.
Felipe Kutzbach's vocals compliment the music incredibly as he doesn't try to reach falsetto like heights nor does he employ whispered passages, instead Felipe rests comfortably in a spectrum that covers the low and high end without succumbing to the over the top theatrics of either side. "Towards the Midnight Ocean" and "They Who Are Lost but Now Are Cursed" the third and fifth tracks respectively, demonstrate not only the power of his voice but also his restraint. The vocals never overshadow the music but instead pair quite well with the somber mood and solitary lyrics. Again, showing off their influences, both vocally and musically, Capilla Ardiente pay a great tribute to Candlemass in the way the vocals come off and also the oriental melodies of the guitar lines. Like Nile before them, the Arabic sounding melodies are a tribute to those who have come before them.
The album is quite balanced perhaps because it was intended to be a vinyl experience the six tracks are divided in half with an instrumental opening then two gargantuan metal epics of similar lengths. It's quite clear from the get-go whose sounds Capilla Ardiente are trying to replicate and while they to pay their respects to their elders they don't provide anything groundbreaking to the scene. Of course, that is just a small complaint as what you have in Bravery, Truth and the Endless Darkness is 80's traditional doom metal with molasses like riffs, churning bass and drum work and operatic vocals that all come together in a sincere manner while maintaining an organic sound. A great beginning from a band who has potential to become, if they aren't already, one of Latin America's doom metal titans.
