DOOMSHINE – Thy Kingdom Come

This Doom Metal release will take you by surprise with its excellent quality. You won’t believe this is only the first release from these German Doomsters. At first, it seemed that singer Timmy Holtz’s vocals sounded strangely hopeful, and that brought an interesting contrast to their musical sound. After repeated listens, you start to hear all the different colors in his voice, yet that hopefulness still remains.

On the first listen, you may think that liquid lead was being slowly poured out from your speakers. That’s how slow and heavy this album is. Bands like Sabbath, and an old favorite, Trouble, come to mind. All the acoustic and melodic parts bring welcomed variety to the songs and show that these guys are not short on ideas.

Just when you start feeling that Doomshine are becoming a bit too slow, they temporally pick up the speed, like in what turns out be my favorite song, “A Room With A View.” Timmy Holtz is really seriously trying to make a name for himself too … he growls, whispers, and sings, and at times sounds a bit like Geoff Tate from Queensrÿche.

Even though all the songs are quite long in usual Doom Metal style, the frequent tempo changes make the songs versatile and easier to digest. There are really interesting guitar parts and drum fills, and on every spin, something new can be found … a sure sign of a good album!

Just listen to “The Cross” or “Valiant Child of War” – both the drums and guitar do their hypnotic dance; both taking their turn in leading the song. This is like painting with music. When you start listening to the drums, you find that you have been taken to yet another place by the guitar, and then you can sense the subtle touch of keyboards being played. You know, this album is already turning into a masterpiece!