OCEAN CHIEF – Universums Härd

The Swedish doom/sludge/stoner metal entity named Ocean Chief has vomited forth its fourth album in the shape of "Universums Härd", which contains 7 rather raw and heavy songs filled with nihilistic riffs and unpleasant chords. "Universums Härd" is a grim and nasty record in some ways, partly due to the unpleasant vocals. I quite like the distorted and organic sound, which I suspect is due to the band having recorded most of their parts live in the studio playing together. However, many of the riffs and vocal parts are not really that interesting or captivating, which is a shame, really. Some of the subtle details that can be discerned here and there are actually more interesting to listen to than the actual main riffs and melodies, and that can`t be right, can it? The riffs simply aren`t memorable or monolithic enough to carry the songs and conjure up something really wicked and moody. Ultimately, "Universums Härd" can be a tiresome listen unless one is really and truly in the mood for sludgy and doomy metal of this particular kind, but even then it`s not really that awesome in my opinion. It does have its moments, but simply not enough to really catch my attention and enthrall me.

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