PRESS/GOBINDER JHITTA
There’s a palpable sense of heartbreak surrounding this German doom outfit’s aptly titled debut album, with founding bassist Christian Smukal tragically losing his life to cancer before the record’s release. Acting as both a tribute to their lost bandmate and the next chapter of Moor’s existence, this is an understandably heavy experience, with the band’s bleak post-metal sound retaining a sombre mood throughout. Tears From Acrid Smoke and crushing nine-minute closer Breath Like Nails experiment with plaintive, Pallbearer-esque clean vocals. There’s even a slight post-punk vibe to Pale Grey Snow, with its ominous, clanking basslines eventually being consumed in a vortex of emotive guitar noise. But mostly this is an extremely riff-focused record, offering bludgeoning sludge at crawling tempos, with a genuine emotional catharsis underpinning the misery. ■■■■■■■■■■