Halladrol - The Last Mile On The Earth

Like a calm before the perfect storm, Lord Heikkinen has been brewing a side project for his complete, unadulterated vision of Avant-garde Doom Metal. Also part of Soulgrind which formed in the 1990s, he felt that the now expanded project lacked his sole influence, so Helladrol is a new way of showing that direction. Although this is just an EP, the music and stories told within are inspiring enough. "The Last Mile On Earth" is like hearing someone's last days on the planet, carrying a frantic, rough sound that sounds like older Doom or Death Metal work: weighty, grim, but also beautifully crushing in epic format. "Black New Stars" is like a compromise between both formats but also provides a shorter, more digestible track to the unintiated in Doom Metal. The vocals are not quite as polished and sound a bit rough on the edges, especially during some of the higher pitched roars, but they match the atmospere. It is the closing track, "No Rest For The Holy," which serves as one of the best tracks here. Longer than the first and more in traditonal Doom fashion, its dark, plodding presence matches Heikkinen's ideals of being anti-religious on all fronts and promoting free and true thought. The stories told in this light are not preachy nor a direct assault on any particular religion, but rather instead on the ideology of being directed and told what to do as a whole, rather than exploring and experimenting on one's own. This is the philosophy of 'The Last Mile On Earth.'

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  1. The Last Mile On The Earth
  2. Black New Stars
  3. No Rest For The Holy