Indiana’s Apostle of Solitude plays real doom metal and they do it really well. No droning nonsense, no growling, no death metal influence, no goth, no keyboards; just honest-to-Beelzebub doom in the vein of Black Sabbath, Candlemass, and early Solitude Aeturnus. I’m talking all clean vocals, organic production, simple lead work, and slow, groovy riffing. You just don’t hear many American acts doing this sort of thing these days.

Embraced by the Black is the band’s debut EP consisting of three tracks in about twenty-five minutes. “Last Tears” starts the festivities with the most succinct track herein clocking in a little under six minutes and for the most part plods along with a mid-paced gait, though it does slow down for an absolutely crushing break and ends with a very effective solo. The other two pieces, “Curse of a Gift” and “Life Like Quicksand” respectively, are quite a bit slower and more involved. “Curse of a Gift” has a heavy Candlemass influence, although the bass-driven groove and hazy lead work that takes over in the middle of the track has Wino written all over it. The longest track and closer “Life Like Quicksand” has an undeniable Iommi influence in the slow, churning riffs that eventually pick up some momentum and leads into a cacophonous, triumphant ending.

You can pick this up from the band for a mere $5 including shipping, so if you consider yourself a fan of doom, you have absolutely no excuse for not owning this; I personally guarantee your satisfaction. I’d recommend picking it up before the band runs out of copies and you have to sell your soul to be able to afford it off eBay.



Tyler