Drown - Subaqueous
Release date: 28/2/2020
Label: Prophecy Productions + Vigor Deconstruct
By: JCL
Back in 2017 I discovered Tchornobog, which was the brainchild of Ukrainian-American musician Markov Soroka. Having been thoroughly captivated by the grand spectacle of that album, I was left waiting for the next adventure that Soroka would unveil. Little did I know that it would come in the form of one of his older projects.
The inception of Drown predates Tchornobog by a few years, with the first album, Unsleep, being released in 2014, and now 6 years later the second album Subaqueous is released.
Markov Soroka - Drown
The album opens on sounds of the deep sea, bubbles from what I assume is scuba gear, whale-song, and a quiet guitar full of reverb playing a melody. Slowly building up, it's joined by another guitar and finally the drums and bass. Immediately the listener is hit by the grand scale of the album and it's atmosphere. It's obvious there are influences from melodic doom metallers Saturnus, as well as more modern Black/doom like Ruins of Beverast. Rhythm guitars are left hanging while the melodies, deeply woven with reverb, carry images of the vast infinite ocean, helped along with sounds of waves and aquatic life. A great kudos to the producer of this album, Greg Chandler, for making Subaqueous sound so large as it does.
While there is only 2 tracks, each dedicated to a oceanic "parent", both tracks go on for over 20 minutes, and yet I never grow tired or bored as there is plenty to feast on for your ears. The epic melodic guitarwork and it's harmonies, the violin and cello strings at the end of Mother Cetacean and throughout Father Subaqueous, the smaller things that add to the soundscape, the drumwork that builds the tracks... It's hard to make predictions, but I can for my own part say that this will probably be my favorite doom metal release of this year (And I will inform you if anything should challenge this opinion). It is everything I could ever want from a doom metal release.
"Drown is what I wished 'aquatic doom' sounded like before I started the project."
I am also going to bring attention to the fantastic cover-art. Like Tchornobog, it's again been painted by Adam Burke, in an unusual wide scale. The deep blue colors, the almost alien lifeforms and deep chasms is once again a perfect view into the world of this album, and compliments the music brilliantly. Like the music, it is enormous and beautiful beyond words.
This album is more than just a testament of Soroka's skills and concepts. It's a sombre and deep homage to our ancestral home as living creatures, an introspect into the wonders of the ocean, it's life and our own place in the water's embrace.
I give this album
Out of 6
Tracklist:
1. VI: Mother Cetacean
2. VII: Father Subaqueous
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Drowndoom/
Bandcamp: https://markovsoroka.bandcamp.com/
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