With the Dead - Love From With the Dead (New CD)

The optimism of a new millennium has steadily disintegrated. As a result, it makes perfect sense that the emergence of British doom metal mavens With The Dead would strike a dissonant chord with so many people. Formed in 2014 by former Cathedral/Napalm Death frontman and Rise Above boss Lee Dorrian and ex-Electric Wizard/Ramesses bassist/guitarist Tim Bagshaw, the band coalesced in a monetary burst of spontaneity and shared fury, resulting in the release of their eponymous debut in 2015: one of that year's most widely acclaimed releases and a welcome shot in the arm for fans of merciless, unrelenting sonic despair. Darker, denser, more despondent and sickeningly heavy in numerous senses of the word, this is an album that re-establishes doom as a genre that embraces the extreme and not just some cozy, nostalgic reimagining of the early '70s. Love From With The Dead grimly extinguishes the light of hope and hammers home the hatred and futility that plagues our brief and brittle lives.