Evoken

A Caress of the Void (2007) 

Evoken are not your standard run-of-the-mill Funeral Doom Band, and whilst they do use a crushing low-end attack that creates massive reverberations, and a generally plodding pace reminiscent of a lumbering behemoth, they have always been a bit off the beaten path for their sub-genre. Whilst many of their genre peers used mournful, languid synth and sparse guitar setups, Evoken took the simple low-end, abrasive attack of Celtic Frost (and later Winter), made it slower, uglier (if that is possible) and fused it with desolate, anguished arpeggio patterns. There is a deep, melancholic greyness here, like a mass barrage of threatening storm-clouds circling angrily overhead. However, occasionally like all nasty weather, patches of light sometimes seep through the gaps overhead. And when they do it's beautiful to behold. In this sense Evoken are the masters of contrast, avoiding the monotone bleakness that befalls many bands of this style. It's that inhumane moodiness found in nature and the cosmos in general that makes this special.