Tomorrow’s Rain - Odvan
Israel’s Tomorrow’s Rain are one of those Gothic/ Death/ Doom bands that deserve more attention. Formed in 2011, the six piece channel the parts of the more well known Death and Gothic Doom bands out there from My Dying Bride to Novembers Doom to 69 Eyes but add a more ‘acoustic guitar’ touch to the work for a well produced, solid outing. Their latest record “Odvan” expands what they did on their debut back in 2020 which was released as 2 versions (one English and one Hebrew), so while “Odvan” so far is all in English, perhaps eventually we’ll get the counterpart. Like their debut, “Odvan” is full of guest vocals on many of the tracks to enhance the experience overall and lift the band’s sound beyond the typical Death/ Gothic Doom effort that tends to fall to the wayside. The biggest grab these guys work with is the use of guitar and vocals. Like the opening ‘Roads’ which doesn’t just drench the listener in reverb and depressive tones like that of Draconian or My Dying Bride, Tomorrow’s Rain try to find that balance between melodic and heavy, much in the way Novembers Doom does on some of their more ‘ballady’ songs. The 2 guitars by Yoni Biton and Raffy Mor play well off each other with the bass lumbering along in the background while the clean vocals from Yishai Sweartz drone along in somewhat depressive, but not whining fashion, emenating the likes of that what one would expect from Paul Kuhr. The heavy sections are there, but not the star of the show, as the band brings in guest female vocals along with male and even smooth saxophone sections which uplifts and yet somehow depresses the music even more. And this is just on the first track.
Tracks like ‘Sunrise’ and ‘Room 124’ are more the typical Death Doom outlets without the beauty of the opening track and heavy distortion, growled vocals that are still understandable, and yet still the band adds in almost sci- fi keyboard work from Alex Karlinsky here and there invoking a sort of 70s Prog feel to the music, but never letting it take away from the drawn out riffs and overall heavy seepage of Doom tinged with Gothic elements. All six members bring something exciting to the table while staying true to the formula. Sometimes the guests do steal the show like on ‘Muaka’ which features Attila Csihar of Mayhem fame droning on in his expected fashion. While not as menacing here as in Mayhem, he brings a new level of atmosphere to an already morose atmosphere. Then there is ‘Turn Around’ which is a bit more of that 69 Eyes groove Gothic Metal fun (which is even further enhanced with the cleaner guitars on the last song) and features Michael Denner of Mercyful Fate whose contributions may not be the most apparent, but still helps the music stand out overall. Still, Tomorrow’s Rain can stand on their own plenty with a track like ‘Convelescene’ which is beautiful and heavy, offering a more emotional harsh vocal delivery amongst the guitars and keyboards/ piano; the only downside is in the louder mix of things the bass from Yaggel Cohen and drums by Nir Nakav are sacrificed, but the song closes on a dramatic note. Fans of even the Melodeath genre with bands such as early Before the Dawn will appreciate it.
There are a few random songs here that some might feel breaks the overall pace of the album, and while might be there to enhance the atmosphere or story behind the music, doesn’t quite fit with the whole Death/ Gothic Doom approach that typical enthusiasts enjoy. Fillers are nice here and there but they have to fit overall. The instrumental ‘Rainbow’ is a sudden almost happy piece, which works perfectly as one feels like they’ve been slammed by this storm of doom and gloom, and then the soft guitar notes feel like breaking sun through clouds indeed, though it is less than 2 minutes. Contrast to that is the nearly closing equally short ‘Intensive Care Unit’ which is foreboding and features only spoken words, devoid the typical guitar, drums and bass approach. It is hard to determine if it makes the album end on a happy or sad note, but it somewhat detracts from Tomorrow’s Rain imprint on trying to leave things on a bombastic or impressive musical note. If one counts the alternate version of ‘Turn Around,’ that might count.
Still despite these minor detractions one can tell that “Odvan” is above the average Death Doom release. The mix of heavy and soft is varied between tracks, and while the guests are probably 50% responsible for that, those who feel that some bands like Draconian or even My Dying Bride can tend to rely on the same style to get them through an album and may grow bored with a track or two won’t find that here for Tomorrow’s Rain. It isn’t perfect, but it sure is a longer, more mature and exciting release compared to their debut. Heavy but beautiful, groove laden and yet feet dragging sometimes, there is a mix of ‘sad happy’ here that will impress fans of the darker side of Doom between the riffs and growls and also maybe those who like the more traditional Candlemass side of Doom as well. Those who have not had much experience with Doom in general may find Tomorrow’s Rain appealing, but it still leans more to the Death Doom/ Gothic Doom side of things versus a band like Green Lung which is haunting and steeped in more of a Rock oriented route and incites those calmer 70s depressive vibes.
4 / 5 STARS