Cromlech – Iron Guard (2017)

Some of the best of doom metal seems to originate as a hybrid of Shakespearean drama and medieval heavy metal, and Cromlech comes to us from the Candlemass-tinged depths of that mental state.T

Bluesy leads and slowed-down heavy metal riffs ride simultaneously with death metal and speed metal technique, wrapped around a vocal that narrates and leads each song, like Greek drama made into sonic pugilism.

Interestingly, the core of this band resembles more of the power metal approach, where swords ‘n sorcery music finds itself guided by a vocal line with guitar riffs following those needs, sort of like the approach of a Hebrew cantor or a movie soundtrack. This calls for an approach which somewhat inverts the past structure of doom metal, which was a song wrapped around riffs that formed a changing tapestry of moods. Here doom metal gets closer to folk music, which as a benefit gives the musicians a chance to work more variations into the music than they could with a strictly riff-based approach, because they are aiming for compatibility with vocals and not strictly between riffs themselves.

Mostly clean vocals are elegant in themselves and lead away from doubling the riff enough to broaden the soundscape for a sense of big epic sound which compresses into a single thought at the end of each piece, granting to Cromlech the meditative trait that doom has always had. Riffs vary in influences, with some death metal favorites in there as well, but maintain independence enough, as do the songs, to be distinctive. This EP improves on the band’s last full length and shows promise for its future.

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12 thoughts on “Cromlech – Iron Guard (2017)”

  1. Interracial Porn and Arghoslent says:

    Very timely album art.

  2. I Am the Black Mages says:

    It’s an awesome EP, very distinct sound. You can still hear the style and tone that lended the epic sound to their very enjoyable first album but there is such a development in their sound and technique that you wouldn’t mistake any of these songs for belonging on previous work; Cromlech is clearly evolving and working at betterment.

  3. I actually know these guys… good stuff.

  4. Dolan Stebbins says:

    Definitely top 10 Jewish metal albums of all time

  5. GGALLIN1776 says:

    The real question is, are they all white knighting for the skank in the middle or is she just looking for a weird gang bang?

  6. 2Pacalyptic Raids says:

    Sounds like they owe a major debt of gratitude to Solstice.

    1. M says:

      I second this. While I haven’t heard Iron Guard yet, Cromlech’s earlier material was definitely derivative of (the all-mighty) Solstice, right down to the “folky” sections or style. May all bow down to the New Dark Age.

  7. Rainer Weikusat says:

    I actually managed to follow this to the endless “I’m the unspired 1970s clone! Yes, I FUCKING AM … !” solo with the deplaced background chuggery.

    Something I used to own in the past,
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smVwHdQ8qlk

    Now, for the Very Elaborate Comment on this music: oIo

  8. Dweller of Basements, Chronicler of Anusian Mysteries says:

    One of these niggaz used to post here..

    https://www.deathmetal.org/forum/index.php/topic,6846.0.html

  9. Thewaters says:

    That’s racist.….

  10. Exfoliation says:

    I’ll give it another chance but those goat vocals are fucking terrible and way too loud

  11. He Brews says:

    Oi Vey

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