It isn’t often I tackle new doom metal albums. As my seasoned readers know, I’m about as picky with this subgenre as a child is with green vegetables. That said, there are exceptions. One such exception is The Obsessed. The legendary band, fronted by the iconic Wino (who can best be described as doom metal’s Lemmy), was one of the genre’s earliest progenitors, initially forming in 1976 under the moniker Warhorse. Come 1980, they rebranded themselves The Obsessed, only to splinter in 1986 after Wino joined a little band you might’ve heard of, Saint Vitus.
By the ’90s, Wino revived The Obsessed again, this time for three classic albums, before splitting again in 1995. Another reunion run would arise in the early ’10s, followed by the bands now hopefully permanent reboot come 2016. The past 8 years have seen The Obsessed play countless clubs and festivals, as well as a rather strong comeback outing in 2017’s Sacred. To give some context, the last time I saw The Obsessed and they released a new album, I was in high school. That’s a long time folks. Fast forward 7 years and a series of bad facial hair decisions from yours truly later and we’ve arrived at the release of The Obsessed’s long awaited fifth studio album, Gilded Sorrow.
For the most part, Gilded Sorrow is a tale of two albums. A solid half of these 8 songs (I’m not including the minute long outro, “Lucky Free Nice Machine”), sound like the ’70s flavored doom rock of The Obsessed (1990) and Lunar Womb (1991). The opening “Daughter of an Echo” embodies this approach, towing the line between swagger and darkness in true Obsessed fashion. It’s dark and brooding, but groovy and approachable. “It’s Not OK” and “Jailine” could pass as Mahogany Rush deep cuts with their hard rocking disposition, while “Realize a Dream” emphasizes atmosphere over brute force.
The other half of Gilded Sorrow is rather run of the mill stoner/doom that doesn’t do much for me in the long run. Granted, it’s still more palatable than the two zillion bands who have made a living trying to sound like The Obsessed, but I digress. The title track is my favorite of these dirges: A punishing exercise in psych doom with its droning riffs, fuzzed out leads, and disorienting atmosphere. Think Blue Cheer on downers (or perhaps more downers than they were on to begin with). As for the cleverly title “Stoned Back to the Bomb Age”, “Wellspring”, and “Yen Sleep”, they just lumber about in an inoffensive manner, doing little to thrill nor dissuade me in the long run.
If I were to take the 4 or 5 songs I really dig on this release, Gilded Sorrow would be one hell of an EP. Instead, it’s merely good by Obsessed standards. When we factor in the entirety of the modern stoner/doom scene, it’s a flat out masterpiece, but that isn’t saying much. Maybe I’d dig this album more if I still partook in the sacred stoner/doom ritual of “sparking up”, but alas, we’ll never know. In the same breath (or puff rather), it sure beats the “Shooting Gallery”!
6 out of 10
Label: Ripple Music
Genre: Doom Metal
For fans of: Saint Vitus, Black Sabbath, Spirit Caravan