Many people do not connect with Doom Metal and even those that do are often in stark disagreement about which bands are good and why. Doom that preys on an emotional connection with the listener can often be hit-and-miss and be especially dependent on the individual listener. It is hard to make this connection come about and sometimes, it just won’t happen. It always helps when the band has more to offer than just raw emotion—talented musicians playing tight songs that go beyond the bare minimum of what the genre demands. Slumbering Sun are an act that both connects with me emotionally and are incredibly tight musically.
Slumbering Sun feels both rather modern and very old-school. The standout vocal performance is clearly inspired by the classic nasal Doom vocalist à la Ozzy or Pagan Altar‘s Terry Jones. It reeks of feeling, melancholy and mourning but contrary to many classic Doom vocalists, Slumbering Sun‘s vocals do have the technique and the tight writing to not be an acquired taste. The music similarly bridges the classic with the modern. The inspiration is clearly classic 70s Doom Metal and I would even claim they deliberately reach for a Doom sound that predates the Stoner genre qualifier. In addition, the band lets Shoegaze, Post Metal and slight Prog or even Americana undertones invade classic Doom. It leads to a fluid style where new elements trade with the old and where each song, despite their length, can justify their length with ease. A favorite moment are the synths in the back half of “Dream Snake”, accompanied by some of the most soulful vocals I have heard in Doom Metal, almost reaching the heights of Patrick Walker (Warning). The band has the necessary restraint in their songs to make big emotional payoffs like this work. In the end, when the sadness and the tension finally passes, accompanied by some of the cheesiest “na na na” singing an album could have, the band even earns that much. Slumbering Sun prove again and again that catharsis is attainable, but hard work is necessary.
