REINO ERMITANO - "BRUJAS DEL MAR"

Reino Ermitano ("Hermit Kingdom") and the Brujas Del Mar' ("Witches of the Sea") is a hour of charismatic music that flows perfectly between crushing heaviness and somber moods and sometimes all within the one song. After the intro "La Corte" comes "Curandero De Una Realidad Incierta" with a riff, Saint Vitus would be proud of and add to that Tania Duarte's emotive doominess and you have a sound that is one part pure doom, another part kind of tribal. "Voragine" is as solid as any Doom song ever written with stunning guitar work from Henry Guevara who has now been replaced with Eloy Arturo who is a killer guitar player in his own right. There is other crushing doom in songs like "Crepuscular" and "Hoy, La Tarde" that take the vibe of Saint Vitus, Black Sabbath, Pentagram and give it a earthy, native feel that i am guessing comes from their Peruvian background. They also blend in other instruments that are rare for a doom band such as mandolin's and flutes, these mellow touches only make the heavier parts even more heavier and they insert these elements at just the right time to full effect. "Elipses" is one track where they blend insidious riffage with a macabre, ethereal atmosphere and if you dig horror-tinged dirges like that, then this album is for you.