Entry 653 - Assumption - Hadean Tides

Style: Atmospheric death metal

Primary Emotions/Themes: Crushed under the merciless weight of the underworld

Thoughts: Assumption is such a curious band name. I don't think I ever would have associated it with atmospheric death/doom metal, but here we are. 

Hadean Tides is an album that came out of no where and smacked me up side the head. A few months ago Sentient Ruin had a ridiculously good sale going on and I listened to a bunch of new bands to figure out if I wanted to pick anything up. I passed on this album then for whatever reason. 

When my order came in a download code for Assumption's latest was included. I put it into Bandcamp and started listening. I instantly regretted not getting the album. By the time I wanted to pick it up the price had gone back up to the normal level so I waited. There was another sale more recently and I picked this one up without a hesitation.

Assumption play down and dirty death metal with a healthy dose of doom mixed in. This is slow, mean doom/death. It's like an incredibly meticulous predator that is easy to run away from, but it's relentless in its pursuit. If you rest, even for an instant, you are dead.

Now, doom/death of this variety is nothing new, in fact I would be hard pressed to say that Assumption brings anything new to the table in terms of innovation. What they do bring though is nasty ass riffs that are steeped in atmosphere and marinated in hatred. 

Let's examine the title track. The intro builds into this massive collection of riffs that become overwhelming. The song begins with a bass, ride symbol, and clean guitar to establish a sense of atmosphere and melody. Once repeated a couple of times, the band comes in with a riff that is wrapped in a malice and approaching at a dangerous pace. 

The song continues to swirl back and fourth between different riffs but maintains the slow build over the course of the first few minutes. After a brief pause at 4 minutes in the song takes a dramatic turn, introducing blast beats and chaotic riffs. On repeated listens it makes sense with the way the song has been going, but the first time I was not expecting it at all. 

Finally the song returns to the eerie peace of the intro. As it fades out the band has shown everything that they are capable of on Hadean Tides: deep and rich atmospheres, sudden bursts of energy, and above all that slow abhorrent hatred that is coming for you no matter where you are. This may not bring any innovation to the table, but it sure as hell is a good listen. Sometimes you don't need something new and unique... sometimes you just need a damn good album.

Written January 12th 2024