• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

This is not a proper album, but rather a sort of compilation with two new songs, one rerecorded track, a cover song, and a bunch of old demo tracks collected together. Hopefully this fine US Doom band will get off their asses and crank out a new full album sometime this year, but "Claw Tower" is an enjoyable taste of the sounds to come, as well as a trove of rare demo cuts from the band's past.

What is there to say here but: DOOM. Orodruin play music in the general Sabbath/Solitude Aeturnus vein with groovy slow riffs, trippy leads, and seriously depressed lyrics. There is a vaguely Lovecraftian slant to the lyrics, at least as far as I can tell, as there are no lyrics included in the otherwise very cool-looking booklet. The title track is a killer fucking doomfeast, and the rerecording of "Creation Through Death" also crushes. The cover song is OK, a bit cheesy, but the riffs are cool. Overall the production is pretty good, with a definite 70's low-budget analog feel. The sort of production where the leads sound like they were recorded in the next room, you know? I would like a heavier guitar sound, but this has a certain charm. The demos are all pretty good, if not quite as good in the sound department. The vocals are clean and a bit iffy here and there. Not bad by any stretch, but the guy is no Messiah, or even Robert Lowe.

So this is a good CD for getting a taste of this band, if you don't already have their much-lauded "Epicurean Mass". For fans of the band, this is a no-brainer purchase, as the new material just kills, and it gives me high hopes for their next one. I don't generally like compilations or even EPs, but I dig this one.