review: Poema Arcanvs -- death doom

Poema Arcanvs

Stardust Solitude

Transcending Obscurity Records

28 August 2020

It is likely that the most necessary quality when listening to this album is patience. If a person knows that they are patient then things might go very well, but if not, patience can also be learned, and what better teacher than this band? The devoted fans of doom may already be aware of this band and its previous five albums, but let’s not assume any of that. Let’s open this as a new can of worms. This is midtempo (not super slow like drone or funeral stuff) and it is midtempo (not fast, not slow) throughout, and consistently so. It is headbobbing music, and in the live setting fans might bang their heads kind of slowly or just keep nodding their heads in approval. It is a very comfortable and accessible type of pace. Some people will absolutely love the pacing of the music. As a doom work, this avoids the slow extremes. The sound quality of the recording should be impressive to listeners. The bass guitar is very audible, and the drums sound good and strong. The band uses a bit of melody, but not too much, so once in a while the guitars take a break from the heavy riffs and provide a bit of melody. The vocals are a deep gruff growl, and also a desperate, sad, depressive wail for the melodic singing. With a duration of 56 minutes, the band is signaling that they are aiming for a great album that the dedicated aficionados of doom will appreciate. Metal Archives shows that the previous album is from 2012; therefore, assuming Metal Archives is correct, something has been going wrong for the band to take this long to make a new album, but with this work they mean to regain the lost ground. They do sound like they have in mind to make an album that, if not their best ever, can stand the test of time in terms of their discography.

One possible negative thing to consider is that the album is too monotonous. It stays at midtempo throughout and this could be a problem for fans who prefer more variety in moods. This is why it is important for the consumer to consider whether they are prepared or willing to tackle almost an hour’s worth of midtempo doom that also does not offer too much melody.

Stardust Solitude (Doom Metal) by POEMA ARCANVS (Chile)