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Officium Triste: Reason
07/09/10 || Daemonomania
In my book (of blood), death/doom comes in two varieties – the evil kind as laid down by Incantation and Hooded Menace, or the romancey kind as gently caressed by Swallow the Sun and Celestial Season. Officium Triste fall into the latter category. Not that they sing about the love of a good woman or Fabio’s bare chest, but these are some actual fucken lyrics from “The sun doesn’t shine anymore”:
Grey clouds cover the sky forevermore
And I miss you, your smile, your laughing face
And the twinkles of joy in your eyes
Excuse me? Twinkles of joy? The only thing less metal than that is a wall calendar of puppies cuddling with kittens cuddling with a giant spider made out of razorblades motherfukker. No wait, that last part was mega-metal. You get the point. Despite the abundance of lyrical Roquefort, Officiatysk Tortyum still managed to put out a very solid disc circa annum 2004. Nothing liquid or gaseous about it. Solid.
To sum it up quickly, the elements required for a mournful pulling of your withered heartstrings are all present:
1) Big ole riffs that wrench tears from ancient rockfaces.
2) Slow, sad solos perfect for weeping into a woodland stream. Oddly, they remind me a bit of Amon Amarth.
3) A touch of keyboards to recall lovers lost.
4) Deep growls that are pushed back a bit in the mix to lure chunky gothic maidens ever closer.
5) Long tracks tailor-made for epochs of staring into the pouring rain.
It might sound like I’m talking trash about Overium Timeste, but “Reason” has been a staple of my winter Sunday afternoon playlist for many moons. They just write good songs, and even an 8 minute opus about life being unfair seems over too quickly. And the wife digs it. Highly recommended for fans of DM’s sluggish sector who don’t mind a glass of Riesling with their doomy meat ‘n potatoes.
- Information
- Released: 2004
- Label: Displeased
- Website: www.officiumtriste.com
- Band
- Pim Blankenstein: vocals
- Lawrence Mayer: bass
- Bram Bijlhout: guitars
- Gerard: guitars
- Martin Kwakernaak: drums, synths
- Tracklist
- 01. In Pouring Rain
- 02. The Silent Witness
- 03. This Inner Twist
- 04. The Sun Doesn’t Shine Anymore
- 05. A Flower In Decay
