Eugene, Orgeon doom merchants YOB are back following up their 2012 release Atma with the equally pulverizing, dirge filled platter of riffage titled Clearing the Path to Ascend. Comprised of guitarist/vocalist Mike Scheidt, drummer Travis Foster, and bassist Aaron Rieseberg, the trio have put together four tracks of epic proportions, as piles of mountainous riffs, plodding drums, and haunting vocals assault your senses and batter you helpless. Opening cut "In Our Blood" is near 17-minutes of pure doom bliss, the endless, ponderous riffs just don't stop coming at you, while Scheidt's Ozzy-meets-Mastodon's Brett Hinds vocal attack mysteriously floats over the top. "Nothing to Win" picks up the pace, Foster & Reiseberg pounding away under Scheidt's furious riffing and lethal screams, which leads into the tortured sounds of "Unmask the Spectre", 15-minutes of melancholy, atmosphere, and terror. Of course, YOB finish up the album with the longest piece yet, the monolithic "Marrow", another slow builder drenched in despair, as lilting chords eventually start to give way to thunderous riffs and yearning vocals, the band ebbing and flowing throughout the songs near 19-minute length. It's all very dramatic, well played, and despite the excruciating song lengths, the songs never bore or meander. Job well done yet again YOB, so all you doom fans make sure you seek this one out.
Track Listing
1) In Our Blood
2) Nothing to Win
3) Unmask the Spectre
4) Marrow
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