ASUNDER

It is funeral doom with a touch of class and it's a long one. Sit back and prepare for two whole tracks and 73 minutes of sadness. And you know what? San Francisco's ASUNDER does the genre proud on "Works Will Come Undone". Far more than just belly crawling (ok, there is a lot of crawling),riff clangs, and growls, the album's epic-length tracks take the listener on a journey that goes in many directions, as well as being drenched in majesty.

The album is quite beautiful in the way the band reaches down deep and turns emotions inside out. The arrangements on both tracks are exceedingly well done. The guitars of Geoff Evans and vocalist John Gossard craft a slew of terrific riffs. It will surprise no one that the melancholia in the guitar work is omnipresent, whether it is long sections of quiet light picking or mammoth riff crashes. Bassist Salvador Raya and drummer/vocalist Dino Sommese keep things interesting as well, the texture and nuance going a long way when even the slightest bit of coloration can be the difference between captivation and boredom. The X-factor is clearly the cello playing of Jackie Perez-Gratz (AMBER ASYLUM) that is heard throughout the album. It is truly amazing how one quiet instrument can turn an interesting arrangement into a heartfelt one. When combined with the low, chant-like vocals of Gossard and Sommese, the effect is almost spiritual.

The analog recording of doom messiah Billy Anderson is exceptionally well done too. The instrument separation is fantastic, the clarity perfect, and the feeling captured spine tingling. It is easily one of the better doom recordings I've heard.

I'll admit that when I heard the sentence, "it's 73 minutes, but only two tracks", my first thought was, "oh Christ!" But what a pleasant surprise "Works Will Come Undone" turned out to be. Assuming you're not looking for an adrenaline rush, you'll be shocked at how quickly song-length becomes meaningless. It is simply not an issue once the trip starts. Just keep in mind that the volume should be high and the lights low. Beyond that, "Works Will Come Undone" only requires that you allow yourself some time to get into the mood and then just go with the flow. Don't resist, just let the album take you on this 73-minute ride into the abyss. You may come out the other side a changed person.