Earache
2012
1. Deny The Cross
2. The Burning
3. Rite Of Samhain
4. Spiral Vacuum
5. Who's To Blame?
6. Sea Of Trees
7. Lucky Bones
333 marks my first experience with Hour Of 13, though not one of it's members. I've always liked singer Phil Swanson in Vestal Claret and Seamount so I'm getting around to checking him out here too. Considering the previously mentioned bands are quality doom metal I expected much the same here.
One thing I liked about Hour Of 13 is they manage to sound raw and just a bit retro without coming off as cheesy. A lot of times when bands try to sound rawer with modern tech it just sounds contrived, but I don't get that impression from 333. The raw, stripped down vibe just seems appropriate for the sort of dark, occult vibe they go for. Two bands which I'm strongly reminded of are Pagan Alter and Witchfinder General. Pagan Alter particularly comes to mind vocally as Phil Swanson's delivery is fairly nasal, but this is not a complaint at all and works with the music. There are far worse comparisons I could draw after all. Basically, what we have here is classic sounding doom metal drawing on some old school influences while utilizing some nice groove guitar and plenty of dark atmosphere.
Overall, if you like doom metal like the bands I mentioned than this should be pretty satisfying. Nothing here reinvents the wheel, but Hour Of 13 are pretty good at the sound they seek. If you want something with groove and a dark vibe that draws on classic influences than this is solid.
Highlights: Rite Of Samhain, Deny The Cross, Spiral Vacuum
Rating - 3.5/5
2. The Burning
3. Rite Of Samhain
4. Spiral Vacuum
5. Who's To Blame?
6. Sea Of Trees
7. Lucky Bones
333 marks my first experience with Hour Of 13, though not one of it's members. I've always liked singer Phil Swanson in Vestal Claret and Seamount so I'm getting around to checking him out here too. Considering the previously mentioned bands are quality doom metal I expected much the same here.
One thing I liked about Hour Of 13 is they manage to sound raw and just a bit retro without coming off as cheesy. A lot of times when bands try to sound rawer with modern tech it just sounds contrived, but I don't get that impression from 333. The raw, stripped down vibe just seems appropriate for the sort of dark, occult vibe they go for. Two bands which I'm strongly reminded of are Pagan Alter and Witchfinder General. Pagan Alter particularly comes to mind vocally as Phil Swanson's delivery is fairly nasal, but this is not a complaint at all and works with the music. There are far worse comparisons I could draw after all. Basically, what we have here is classic sounding doom metal drawing on some old school influences while utilizing some nice groove guitar and plenty of dark atmosphere.
Overall, if you like doom metal like the bands I mentioned than this should be pretty satisfying. Nothing here reinvents the wheel, but Hour Of 13 are pretty good at the sound they seek. If you want something with groove and a dark vibe that draws on classic influences than this is solid.
Highlights: Rite Of Samhain, Deny The Cross, Spiral Vacuum
Rating - 3.5/5
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