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Demon Lung: A Dracula

This is a sneaky little album. It is also an excellent album. As far as I'm concerned, Demon Lung was already an essential doom band after the release of their first album, The Hundredth Name. With this album, it's even more obvious that the band is rapidly establishing itself as a doom giant. To prepare myself for this review, I listened to both albums so I could have a sense of the band's overall direction. I'm pleased to hear the band developing its own voice more and more. I also liked the fact that this album is a little faster than the first one. I never get tired of slow, sludgy, doom, but this release introduces a bit more adrenaline into the performance, almost as if the band were trying to capture the energy of a live show. Beyond all that, Demon Lung stands out from the competition because the band members are not only good at creating great-sounding doom, but also at developing interesting stories. These stories, usually drawn from original ideas or from films, give the lyrics more resonance than the usual fare about rituals and sacrifices and the like. Yes, some of that stuff is here, but it works together for the purpose of the story rather than just to touch all the bases of the genre.

I began by calling this album "sneaky." What I mean is that the album title A Dracula reverses the name Alucarda, the title of the Mexican horror film on which it's based. Take a second and read the movie title from right to left. Did you see it? If not, look again. You'll see it. Although I haven't seen the movie, I do know that it deals with things like convents and demonic possession and that it came out in the wake of The Exorcist. I wish I knew if the reverse reading of Alucarda makes an appearance in the movie or whether the band just though the word play was too awesome to resist. In any event, it's a cool connection and it certainly makes for a great album title. Whatever the reason, the name—and the film—have prompted the members of Demon Lung to create some very aggressive doom metal. As I mentioned above, the music here is sometimes a bit faster than it was on the last album. There are even a few blast beats here and there. Fortunately, they are used sparingly and do not overwhelm the listener.

The album as a whole is very strong and will certainly bring new fans to the Demon Lung camp. I'd recommend it as not only a remarkable doom record but also as a good example of what a good band can do with a sophomore album. Demon Lung is a band that will likely continue to grow and to mature in the best ways. They have a bright future.

As for individual tracks, be sure to check out "Behold, the Daughter," "Gypsy Curse," and "Mark of Jubilee." I also enjoyed the two tracks with "Rursumque" in the title. Both are slow, mellow, acoustic tracks that help establish the melancholy and mysterious mood of the album as a whole. If you haven't heard Demon Lung yet, this is a great time and a great place to start.

Track Listing:
1. Rursumque Alucarda
2. Behold, the Daughter
3. I Am Haunted
4. Gypsy Curse
5. Deny the Savior
6. Mark of Jubilee
7. Rursumque Adracula
8. Raped by the Serpent

Added: June 18th 2015
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 2364
Language: english

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