With the single from their latest album, ‘Usurper’, the Dutch band deliver their thunderous sound of despair quite unlike ever heard before.
With the release of their latest single, ‘A Spirit’s Weight’, released earlier this year, the Dutch band, River Of Souls, have been turning heads for all the right reasons.
Capturing their signature blend of Doom and Death Metal, River Of Souls have created one of the most ominous and haunting tracks of recent years, generating anticipation towards their most recent album, Usurper.
With the distinctive thunderous vocals, aggression-filled riffs and spine-chilling melodies throughout the track, it comes as no wonder why the band have received widespread critical acclaim and rave reviews in the time since their formation.
Now, with ‘A Spirit’s Weight’, River Of Souls have served to satisfy eagerly awaiting fans with what is proving to be their most intense release to date.
From the moment the it begins, the single immediately has listeners gripped by the throat, wanting to hold their breath as the Dooming instrumentals demand undivided attention.
Almost reminiscent to the hit track, ‘Grind’ by Grunge legends, Alice In Chains, the introduction to ‘A Spirit’s Weight’ perfectly captures a sense of unease, melancholy and despair as it builds up to the chilling opening line: “Crystal spirit awake, heed my call. My black heart aches for a pure soul”.
Although earth-shatteringly heavy throughout, what seems to stand out most with ‘A Spirit’s Weight’ is the sense of elegance and emotion that it conveys.
Undeniably influenced by Doom Metal pioneers, Black Sabbath, it is the simplicity of the song’s structure that carries a sense of emotion and refinement best.
An eruption of force and aggression, the band still are able to generate an atmosphere of suspense throughout. With the lyrics centring around themes of entrapment, isolation and a loss of hope, ‘A Spirit’s Weight’ incorporates a refreshingly nuanced and diverse approach to its genre- something unique to the band.
Provoking its aura of uncertainty simultaneous to the feeling of coldness and despair, at times, River Of Soul’s reluctance to develop the track seems to prevent it from venturing into new avenues that allow it to stand out from the rest of the band’s discography.
Yet, in an almost poetic way, it is this droning sense of melancholy and stagnancy that allows the band to capture the essence of solitude depicted within the lyrics.
Overall, with their latest single, River Of Souls have revived the Doom and Death Metal genres more than ever before. Placing their own spin on the genres, the thunderous vocal melodies, foreboding instrumental sections and emotion-fuelled lyrics within ‘A Spirit’s Weight’ has made it one of the band’s most intricate releases to date.
Whilst remaining relatively simple in its structure and composition, it is these elements that allow the band to generate their overwhelming atmosphere of dread and melancholy throughout the track. Guaranteed to turn heads and satisfy Doom Metal fans across the globe, the single has successfully placed River Of Souls as one of the standout artists of 2020, sparking much interest towards their latest album, Usurper.
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River Of Soul’s latest album, Usurper is out now and available on all streaming platforms.
To keep up to date with River Of Souls, check out the links below!
https://www.riverofsouls.nl/page/2/
Beneath the Surface 