Review Summary: Gorgeous and devastating, Weeping Sores’ debut is a death-doom tour de force.
Fans of death-doom come for the drama and gothic theatrics—lumbering riffs and a suffocating atmosphere only sweeten the deal. So when a band like Weeping Sores comes along and eschews the death-doom caricature with lush melodies and viable song structures, it’s worth taking note.
False Confessions, the New Yokers’ debut album, is an exceptional record; beautifully executed death metal filled with lurching riffs and swirling doom. Gina Eygenhuysen (Tchornoborg) provides layered violin, fleshing out the rich melodies which augment songs like “Song of Embers” and “The Leech of Shame.” Doug Moore of Pyrrhon fame brings the expected dynamism, with Morbid Angel rhythms laid bare next to early Paradise Lost. It’s a devastating combo, bringing an explosive amount of variation to a genre which requires patience. In spite of this,
False Confessions is tasteful and reserved in how it deploys it’s heavy-hitters—songs like “Transfiguration of Flesh into Dreams” bring much needed down-to-Earth death metal. Death-doom is all about parlor tricks and Weeping Sores know when to show their hand.
False Confessions is an uncommonly good heavy record. Few bands have been able to take death metal and doom to such deliriously weird places while still retaining that beautiful and affecting meditative experience. Weeping Sores, however, do it expertly.
