A Massive Doom Metal Release from High Inquisitor Woe

A new album released from High Inquisitor Woe comes through with an absolutely massive soundscape that is both aggressive and vast in its undertone, blending progressive, metal, doom, sludge, and stoner rock all in one shot.

Painted Vision of an Era Forlorn is a huge record that boasts tracks that are absolute opuses, some spanning past 9 minutes or longer.

The riffs across this record are outstanding, but then all of the guitar work is really where it's at. You have some great lead stuff, melodic approaches, again, these doom metal approaches, and an unreal energy that makes you feel like they recorded it all live on the floor, and everyone was just feeding off of each other the entire time.

Of course, I wasn't there, so I'm not sure how they actually did it, but listening to this record makes you want to see them perform the whole damn thing live, right in your face. If they're able to capture this kind of aesthetic and energy so well on record, then going to see them live would be a real face-melter.

These tracks are heavily melodically based, but they thrash out super hard with absolutely pounding drums that don't just sit in the pocket, but instead give this massive liveliness to everything.

 I really feel like a lot of the band pushes off of that drummer to gain this kind of momentum that a lot of the songs have.

After an orchestrated cinematic introduction, the first full track, "Eos-Aurora", comes right in and opens the door for the rest of the album.

Brutal riffs, deep-pocketed drumming, thick bass guitar tone that still rattles and gives everything a rumbling underbelly, and plenty of lead guitar work that just satisfies you.

Those are also very melodic, but they follow the pace of the songs, so when things are sort of calm and soothing, spacious and almost atmospheric, the vocals follow suit. They can be soft, subtle, a little delicate, but still give these great melodic hooks, and then when things thrash out and get huge with unreal Sonic presence and drive, the vocals also follow suit there.

I personally love how there are both of those attributes taking place, and when things get big, the vocals are more intense and belting out.

This is an unreal track and one of the best ones to introduce the record with because it is almost 15 minutes long, and you are getting some of the great staples that you will hear throughout the record.

Having said that, this is an album you should listen to all the way through in one shot. It is a magnum opus of an album, and these guys really took their time and showcased their absolute love for the craft of songwriting together, and for the genre of doom metal itself.

Classic riffs blended with heavy metal drudgery and palm muting spread across this record, and the whole thing does indeed provide this lush and full-bodied kind of atmosphere that you end up falling right into.

There's something almost Gothic and dark, edgy and expansive about the album, and some of that has to do with the tones of the instruments themselves, but it also has to do with how big and long these songs can be.

There's a ton to soak in, and plenty of the record delivers loads of layers that make everything have a certain kind of depth

"The Golden Bough" is one of my favorite tracks on this entire thing, and this is because it manages to blend a lot of the stoner and doom with classic metal all in one shot.

Some of these songs are so long and intense that you have to snap out of it when they're over.

I absolutely love that because this is a record that gives you a full experience. This was meant to be heard from start to finish so that you can have it serve as an escape for you to dive into.

These guys do manage to encompass a slew of heavy rock and metal approaches throughout the record. There are plenty of surprises around the corners, and I think some of the best stuff on this is the pure doom metal stuff. Wide, spread-out riffs, that spacious undertone, vocals that belt and wail, and again, that live performance style approach that breeds infectious energy levels and a gigantic aesthetic that you end up falling into.

The title track is one of the best examples of this. 

Once you're in this atmosphere, you just don't want to leave.

As I mentioned earlier, this is not just one genre. You can sort of hear the influences from each player coming in throughout the record, and one of my favorite aspects is a lot of this guitar work because they're not afraid to throw some shredding in there, but still keep that doom approach.

This was a record that will completely satiate your love of doom-rock, stoner rock, metal, or anything heavy that has depth to it.

So, take a deep dive into this album right now and make sure you set some time aside because it's a big one.

You certainly won't be disappointed, though. Do not forget where you heard it first.

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