The Pitch: Gothenburg doomers Cities of Mars (w/ former member of Monolord) lay down sci fi concept EP about a dissapeared Soviet agent on Mars.
What I Like: This stoner-ish style of doom more often than not makes me yawn big time, but Celestial Mistress ends up being highly engaging. The chords and bass rumble are gigantic, the vocals are haunting and powerful, and the psychodelic aspects that come forwards are fantastic. The title track in particular is very dynamic with lots of interesting twists and turns.
What I Don't Like: As is often the case in this genre, songs can drag at certain points. As much as I like "Beneath The Burning Sun," it gets a bit repetetive. Cities of Mars prove on this EP that they are capable of mixing things up, so I hope they continue to drift away from your more typical doom.
The Verdict: Celestial Mistress is a highly successful 30 minute outing that sould appeal to a broad fanbase: Baroness, The Sword, Mastodon, and perhaps even Fugazi or Middle Class Rut. I also hear a bit of Tool in the vocals and some of the more post-metal guitar parts. Very excited to hear more from Cities of Mars. This is definitely one of my top 3 doom releases of the year.
Flight's Fav's: "Gaze of Leviathan," "Celestial Mistress"