Morgion

Sol Niger Within (Relapse)
by Paul Lee

Smell the pungent stench of the dying rose as you feel the flow of blood, squeezing the thorns that pierce your fingers. Hear the extreme melodic and crushing morbidity that emanates from Morgion‘s Solinari as you revel in the pain. Who says great epic doom bands are restricted to coming from England and Germany? These morose bastards come by way of California, and they show us they can create sorrowful and crushingly heavy music as well as any Europeans. Solinari is a tremendous and sorrowful opus, an album of deep despair and lush beauty.

Morgion revel in their plodding, down-tuned doom metal that can just as easily settle into slow, peaceful passages. Though fellow Californians and labelmates Mindrot (R.I.P.) had a similar sound, both bands are distinctive and complement each other well, like a scaffold and a noose. Morgion’s twin guitars shudder and rumble with grinding distortion (when they’re not letting the melodies flow with their clean guitar approach). There are also plenty of keyboard passages that intertwine with the songs, adding a Gothic dimension to their anguish. Though they reveal a bit of their death metal origins (mostly due to the singer’s death growls), Morgion’s dirge-like somberness and heaviness never get above a medium pace. In spite of all the darkness and morbidity, I can’t help but be drawn into their realm of sad, entrancing music. Solinari is one of the finest doom albums lurking in the shadows. Bless the sweet sonic pain.
(PO Box 251 Millersville, PA 17551)