乐队列表 Doom Black Redwood Hill Descender

With a lot of influences from genres such as black, doom and sludge metal, Redwood Hill create a very atmospheric and intense sound on Descender. Considering this is the bands first official release, Redwood Hill have done a very good job of it, it's amazing how mature and well produced this album is, for a début it's very advanced musically.

At its core, Descender is a fusion of sludge and atmospheric black metal, it's a style that has become quite popular in underground circles recently with bands such as Entropia and Rorcal taking the limelight. I personally am a fan of this style, I think it's capable of creating some of the most atmospherically poignant music known to man. I'm a huge fan of atmospheric music, and Descender supplies atmosphere in high amounts. The music Redwood Hill play is very intense, heavy yet there are also moments of Neurosis ambiance mixed in as well, definitely a good move by the band to keep the sound interesting and fresh. The atmosphere never feels still and lifeless, it is immaculately presented and played out, creating a sombre, desolate and dark aura that fits the music like a glove.

The sound is extremely massive and heavy with a lot to offer the listener, there's more straight up black/sludge sections that are crushingly heavy and abrasive whilst there's also softer and more progressive elements reminiscent of Neurosis during their quieter moments, it's a mixture that's tried and true and Redwood Hill are definitely very competent at playing this style. Compared to Rorcal and Entropia (the bands I consider the high points of the atmospheric black/sludge scene), Redwood Hill lean far closer to sludge and as a result are more intense and dense. They may not be as harsh as Rorcal, but Redwood Hill sure as hell are packing a punch in delivering the most dirty and dense music known to man. During the heavier sections, Descender practically drips grime, the music is absolutely filthy and heavy, the guitar tone is thick and dense with a hint of black metal influenced distortion thrown in for good measure, it creates a really good wall of sound effect that adds a lot to the music. The music takes the form of being slow, heavy and at times melodic, the music is fairly simplistic and repetitious, so for those looking for a display of musical virtuosity are best off looking elsewhere. For those looking for powerful and atmospherically advanced music then this album shall be right up your street.

The black metal elements in my eyes were an absolute necessity, they do the album a lot of justice in terms of creating the atmosphere, trading a bit of heaviness for a more pronounced atmosphere, it definitely works in the bands favour. There's some slight blackgaze influence as well, especially in the track Poseidon which brings back memories of bands such as Lantlos and Altar of Plagues. I really appreciate how Redwood Hill decided to pool in a wide array of musical influences to make Descender, I have to appreciate bands who give it their all in trying to break out of genre conventions and succeed in creating something unique and truly special. Redwood Hill have no doubt succeeded in doing so, the music is innovative, exciting and atmospherically powerful, there's a lot going on to appreciate in Descender. The album consists of many different elements ranging from sludge to black metal and to quieter, more progressive sections which happen to be my favourite part of the album. This is definitely an album worth picking up.