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Cold Are the Graves is the third album from Poland’s Monasterium, a band that plays epic doom in the classic ‘80s style. That means slow, but not ponderous, tempos, booming drums and crisp guitars to go along with plaintive vocals and the required reverb-laden bass. There are some class cuts like "The Great Plague," which features some excellent riffing and leads riding over the gloomy atmosphere, and "The Stigmatic," with its mournful, pleading vocal lines. The singer has the clear, powerful and emotive delivery that singers like Messiah Marcolin and Robert Lowe forever made the standard for traditional doom. "Cold Are the Graves" has a creepy vibe that makes me wonder if this is what King Diamond would have sounded like if he played doom metal. There are some less than amazing songs ("Remembered," "Necronomicon"), but the songwriting is generally quite memorable even as it follows well-established templates closely. Is Cold Are the Graves the next Nightfall or Into the Depths of Sorrow? No, but if you like those albums, it is hard to imagine you not being able to sink your teeth into what Monasterium has cooked up.