After their brillant debut album "Call of Avernus", Birmingham's quatuor ALUNAH are back with "White Hoarhound", a new album that has been more than consistently matured over the two past years... Something that was almost an obligation, considering that a 2nd album is always an important step in a band's course but also that this doom scene of female fronted bands is regularly offering new bands that can eventually quickly match the place of older ones, especially if they are lucky enough to be supported by a "major" label...
While the vintage production enhance even more than previously the heady grooviness, a quickly noticeable attention has been brought to the songwriting, one can definitely not reproach here a limited musicianship, some too predictable arrangments and a linearity that quickly bores... In her short note to present briefly the album in its early stages, for T.O.P. last winter, Soph insisted about the importance that Gaz (bass) took in this album composition, something which is indeed largely confirmed - particularly by some extended fuzziness, but in fact I think everyone personnaly improved his level of technicality and implication too, giving to the band an extremely cohesive sense that just a few ones can achieve.
Sure this basically vintage Sabbathian sound is prominent and does not intend to reinvent Doom but I dig how they bring it to extreme gloominess with tasty psychedelic hints or to some more luminous charming landscapes (better say semi-obscure !)... I love each second of this "White Hoarhound", of course there's the particularly memorable "Oak Ritual pt2", but my fave one is undoubtly "Belial's Fjord", just the name is awesome but the song is the perfect retranscription of ALUNAH's actual and certainly future sound, a fucking masterful and epic piece of Doom !!!
All this is leaded by Soph's vocals, mesmerising and melodic at the same time; delightful, maliciously and cleverly wellthought like if she always puted herself in the shoes of the most passionated and mature ALUNAH's fan to extract the best quintessence of each song; she's definitely a guru that wants your good for just a few bux !
With this sophomore album, ALUNAH do not simply proove that they now have their own personnal sound, they also proove that they can legitimately exist among other bands like Blood Ceremony or The Wounded Kings... No offense to the always excellent purveyor of classy Doomy sounds Psychedoomelic rds, but I honestly feel that ALUNAH would now deserve a more prestigious label to spread their awesome sound, so let's just hope that they won't wait too long anymore to get a wider exposure cause this album has the potencial to bring them in much higher spheres...
And now please, you dudes and dudette, you need to TOUR outside UK !!! Meanwhile lucky local Doomsters should not miss the album release party programmed next Friday... check the flyer below !
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