Cast Away Souls is the brand new Svart Records release from the doom trio known as Cardinal Wyrm, and follows their impressive Black Hole Gods from 2015. This time around, joining the nucleus of guitarist Nathan Verrill and drummer/vocalist Pranjal Tiwari is Hammers of Misfortune/Vastum bassist Leila Abdul-Rauf, who brings a certain pedigree to Cardinal Wyrm as they look to make their move up the doom ladder.
And making an ascension they certainly have here on Cast Away Souls, a menacing 6 track affair of doom & gloom, filled with ominous, haunting vocals and loads of heavy riffs dripping with menace. The creepy "Silver Eminence" kicks things off, the riffs lumbering, the rhythms plodding, but the effect marvelous, while both "The Resonant Dead" and "Grave Passage" feature battling melodic vocals with black metal styled screeches, as the two duke it out over massive riffs straight out of the Pentagram/Saint Vitus school of riffology. The mammoth 11-minute "Soul Devouring Fog" is an agonizing funeral doom dirge, Tiwari's emotional, tortured vocals pleading for mercy over the textured riffs, and the rampaging "After the Dry Years" pummels with some of the heaviest guitar work on the album. While in spots it would have been nice to hear the tempos varying a bit and the pace picked up, there's no denying the power and eerie vibe permeating this album, a very strong doom release here in 2016 for folks who are looking for some truly heavy sounds.
Track Listing
1) Silver Eminence
2) The Resonant Dead
3) Grave Passage
4) Lost Orison
5) Soul Devouring Fog
6) After The Dry Years
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