Akem Manah - Beneath ...

Akem Manah not to be confused with another doom metal band with the same name from Eugene, Oregon are a Belgian doom-death band that formed in 2007. In 2010 they released their début full length titled The Testament Of Sealant Mound' which was a very good way to kick off their doomy career. This new release isn't a full length, it is just one 21 minute epic titled 'Beneath' While the début album displayed some potential for making some interesting doom metal music, this track seems like a bit of a let-down but pin-pointing where it goes wrong is lets just say ...... awkward. Something about this track doesn't flow and it seems like a key element is missing. The band has stated in the past they have a lot of progressive rock influences and that is certainly one of the elements that leaps out of the recording but like a lot of progressive rock releases, it can be long-winded and frankly a bit tedious. The band is also influenced by philosophy and supernatural horror and that also comes shining through and I do appreciate the Lovecraft inspired concepts.

Musically, this band is very solid and obviously very accomplished. The playing is top-shelf and they have obviously done a lot of work making sure the production values are top quality. 'Beneath' starts off in a very death metal styled direction and at first it sounds a little clichéd and recycled but that soon disappears as the track heads into pure death-doom. As the song unwinds, there are wonderful passages of piano and strings and there are many ambient breaks within the overly long piece. The real doom metal side of the band however only really comes out in short bursts. For most of the track this sounds like a very meandering version of  My Dying Bride only far more unique. The only problem is after a few minutes, it just seems to get seriously dull. The track has many complex passages and it is during those passages that the track seems to get a bit lost.

The vocals are generic death-doom growls mixed with even more generic clean vocals which detract from the very good lyrical elements that the track has. The highlights of the track which is odd for me to say is when they up the tempo and move away from the usual death-doom tendencies. It is unusual for me to like the death metal elements in what is primarily a doom metal album but it is those moments that seem to shine on the track he most while the rest just seems a bit boring. There is still a lot to like and if this was 10 minutes shorter, I would have liked it a hell of a lot more. As it is, this is still an above average release by death-doom standards but in light of how good their début album was, it is a mild disappointment....6.5/10.

Words: Doomm@niac

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