Review Summary: Highly intelligent apocalyptic doom from a UK band with outstanding modular synths. For fans of Godflesh and Aaron Turner
The Salt Pale Collective is a relatively new name in the apocalyptic doom landscape, but it is utmost apocalyptic and doom. A Body That Could Pass Through Stones and Trees EP has arrived in all of its ungodly guttural glory, and it has a lot to offer – even to the experienced cavemen stoners and connoisseurs of extremely low in sound frrequencies but highly intelligent doom metal.
Let’s take a deeper cut at this release, starting from the wider picture and then move to details where the devil dwells. This english trio has crafted a wonderful well-balanced style in every aspect – from convincing visuals to melting sound, production and actual songwriting. The EP consists of long thick epics, full of extremely heavy riffs, heavenly clean vocals contrasting with a wounded beast’s roaring and exquisite modular synths and occasional sax (which adds an absolutely sinister layer to an already eerie picture). All together this sounds like YOB riding down the lava lake straight to the deepest levels of hell with Godflesh with Aaron Turner as their rickshaw.
The guitar work here is based on really (and I mean it) low simplistic riffs that are overflown with the chug, and when the gurgling vocals kick in it almost sounds like Invocation at times. The tone is something familiar yet brilliant and polished to hell. The first impression changes with the sudden clean vocals inception that later develops to full blown melodic patterns. I must also mention the use of samples and FX, which feels absolutely logical and never forced or not in its place. Like in The Metabaron – if you play this song first you might actually never expect to get your ass blasted to pieces with the unrelenting sludge metal of Sermon of the Edacious Revenant. Speaking of song names the game is strong here, a very sophisticated exercise for a listener seeking adventures for the imagination
In the age when Mastodon slowly exchanges positions with King Gizzard, it’s actually nice to hear some real primordial *** that is heavy. If you miss early Isis, Old Man Gloom, Batillus, and the whole Hydrahead/Southern Lord batch – make sure to ingest this beast of an EP.
