• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

The name Old Mother Hell evoked doom metal in my mind and I was right, at least partly. This German band does dabble in doom on their second album, and first for Cruz del Sur, Lord of Demise, but it is no one-trick-pony. Old Mother Hell is, at the core, a heavy metal band, one that brings an epic atmosphere to all their songs, whether they are slow and crushing like "Lord of Demise" or galloping and gritty like "Avenging Angel." This is a relatively short release at just over 38 minutes, but that works to Old Mother Hell's advantage as it is over way before you want it to be and for me, at least, I went right back to "Betrayal at the Sea" once "Finally Free" had ended. Bands like Omen and Manilla Road created the blueprints Old Mother Hell are using so they aren't recreating the wheel, but their songwriting is solid with interesting lyrics and catchy vocal hooks over a beefy but not overwhelming foundation. Lord of Demise is a smart bet if you like epic and doomy heavy metal.