The House of Capricorn - In the Devil's Days ...

If you read Sarp's review of the last House of Capricorn album, (READ IT HERE) you would have read that the album is a little long and has a tendency to drag a little. Well if you thought that was right on the money, this new album is even worse. 'In the Devil's Days' is well over 70 minutes of stoner-doom metal and with overly extended pieces that do get a bit tedious but damn, there is some seriously great atmospheric metal within its slightly ponderous, and awkward journey.

What gets me about this band from New Zealand is how stylistically diverse they are. They have the trad-doom elements a-la Candlemass and Solitude Aeturnus but there is also a range of sounds and styles that are similar to that of Kyuss, Paradise Lost, Danzig and Type O Negative. In fact, there is a lot on this album which sounds like a throwback to mid 90's metal and gothic rock so this is a real varied and diverse album that leaves you wondering, where exactly does this band fit in. The variation that the album supplies is everything from slow, downtrodden doom plodders to mid-tempo stoner-metal burners to other passages that sound more like generic heavy metal and hard rock from the 80's and 90's.

At times the album is insanely catchy with infectious hooks popping up regularly throughout its 70 plus minutes but for me personally, the band really hits pay dirt when it takes a few chances and changes the atmosphere and direction of the album completely and this occurs several times during the CD.

The opening 'All Hail To The Netherworld' is upbeat with an infectious chorus. You could be forgiven at this early stage in the album in thinking, this band has nothing to do with doom-metal at all but when the doom does hit, it hits hard. The second track is the very sabbathy 'Les Innocents' which is over 10 minutes of morose, downtrodden, dark-doom that is anything but upbeat. The only drawback with this tune is it seems powerfully epic at first only to sound rather routine and familiar by the five-minute mark and then there is still another five minutes of song to endure before it's over. It is not exactly boring but it is not exactly captivating either. There is another track on the album that more-or-less repeats this formula called 'Horns.' This one is even bleaker in some respects but it's also even longer at 14 minutes and even more tedious.

'Horns' is spooky, dark, depressing, and very atmospheric but it is hard to stay focused on it for its entire 14 minutes. It kind of loses its impact halfway through to me and people with short attention spans will find tracks like these two a real chore to get though. Because of the length of these tracks, they tend to overshadow the real good tracks on the album. 'Coffins and Cloven Hooves' is a fine track that picks up the pace and changes the atmosphere in very dramatic fashion. There are great energetic riffs that come at you fast and hard and like the album's opening tune, it is very catchy. 'Arcane Delve' is catchy but a bit hit or miss depending on your mood. 'Canto IV' is a short instrumental interlude and nothing remarkable. 'Veils' is another epic doom track but more melodic than the other extended doom tracks on the album. Again it is stretched beyond its limits, almost 10 minutes with this one but there is no doubting the emotionally draining intensity of the track.

'To Carry The Lantern' has another great chorus and has fine guitar work. This track (and others too) has a kind of Type O Negative vibe going on, one listen and you will hear it too. There are many moments on this album that cry out 1990's hard rock and metal and this is one of them. 'Illumination In Omega' marks the point in the album where it really becomes an effort to keep listening. This track is inventive but overly dramatic to the point of overkill, the acoustics and backing vocals sound awkward. The album closes with another shift in atmosphere and direction with the title track that has an emphasis on big vocal melodies and this is a very good closing tune. So as you might have guessed by now, I have mixed feelings about 'In The Devil's Days.' Some of it is great, some of it sounds like generic ideas slapped together. The musicians in the band are excellent though, Marko Pavlovic has a great voice and the semi-satanic lyrics are interesting and sometimes a lot of fun to listen to. The guitar playing is also great and played with a great deal of finesse. The drumming is crisp, and solid throughout the album.

The atmosphere during some of the tracks is engaging and sometimes really creepy, the longer doom-inspired tracks have a sorrowful, depressing vibe that can match it with any other trad, stoner, or funeral doom act but oddly enough, it is the faster, more energetic tracks where the band really seem to shine. There is catchy hooks, grooves, and great vocal melodies that are instantly memorable so there is no question that the band have the ability to release quality albums. This album though is too long with too much emphasis on the long, doom epics that overshadowed the finer tunes on the recording. I still highly recommend people check this album out but I also think the best work of this band is still to come, time will tell.....7/10.

The House of Capricorn
The House of Capricorn @ Myspace