Coronation

Oakland, CA-based doom act Laudanum has slowed down and stretched out since its 2004 debut, The Apotheker. This new disc, which follows an EP and a split, is unrelenting and yet creative in its creepiness and despair. The use of multiple vocalists (everyone sings, or at least shrieks) gives the album the feel of a theatrical performance with various roles being played. On the nearly seven-minute "Invoke," a high-pitched tone periodically interrupts waves of crushing riffs, as a fairly typical doom/death metal growler competes with a banshee-like screech reminiscent of Monarch's Emilie Bresson or Khanate's Alan Dubin. Some tracks here aren't even metal; the opener, "Procession," is a drone piece that leads the listener slowly into a kind of trance state, making the massive heaviosity of "Invoke" that much more savage. A similar trick is pulled with "In Obscura," which offers low-end bass rumble and choral vocals and nothing else for nearly five minutes, only to be followed by the ultra-crushing "Wooden Horse." Those who find doom metal monolithic and tedious should definitely investigate Laudanum, who are doing very interesting things with the form, even if the male vocals occasionally bring them back down to earth.