Review Summary: Doom metal paired with religious imagery is certainly nothing new but I’m hard pressed to think of a time that the combination has sounded as unnerving as it does on Second Death
Armed with the sort of title befitting a sophomore album, Second Death sees Mansion pushing their brand of psych-doom forward with cultic fervor. Like 2018’s First Death of the Lutheran and the EPs before it, the Finns’ style is somewhere between Frayle and Sabbath Assembly driven by a series of sprawling slow burns decorated with ceremonial vocals delivering religious lyrics. However, a broadened scope and even greater commitment to the atmosphere keeps the template from feeling too played out.
Right off the bat, the vocals are much more developed this time around. While the previous album had some interplay between the two singers, Second Death pushes this element to the forefront. Each vocalist will get dedicated sections while also playing off one another on occasion, and backing choirs reinforce the spiritual aims. The band’s female vocalist has an especially creepy demeanor that dominates the proceedings with the sort of restrained frenzy just waiting to burst out ala Julie Christmas. The fact that the lyrics detailing the tenets of Kartanoism, a fascinatingly bizarre 20th century Finnish Christian cult, are sung with utmost clarity only makes the experience creepier.
Fortunately, the rest of the band doesn’t slouch as the thick rhythms and palpable ambiance reinforce the album’s haunting appeal. Most of the songs come at a crawling pace but feature fluctuating dynamics that ensure smooth flow between one another. “The Sword of God” is a theatrical parade with an ominously welcoming façade that is immediately undercut by the hissing taunts on “No Funeral.” I can also get into the neofolk tinges of “Heathen Hole.” The slowness can admittedly be noticeable as it goes along but the fast climaxes of “The Court of the Sorrowless” and the closing “You Are Suspicious” bring about some especially cathartic releases of tension.
Doom metal paired with religious imagery is certainly nothing new but I’m hard pressed to think of a time that the combination has sounded as unnerving as it does on Second Death. It certainly speaks to the conviction behind Mansion’s vision; the vocals alone might be enough to push this to the next level, but the consistently dark mood keeps the building structures purposeful. It might take some time to feel out, especially compared to the more upbeat songs that defined their earliest releases, but Second Death is easily Mansion’s most masterful menagerie.
