Asatta – Spiralling Into Oblivion – Album Review

Source // Asatta - Spiralling Into Oblivion

Doom is one of those genres that people either love or hate. Those that hate it more than likely dismiss it for its plodding tendencies, overly long songs and all too similar sounds and, while that can sometimes be the case, true doom aficionados know how diverse the music can really be. With that in mind, if you are a lover of doom it is time to acquaint yourself with Milwaukee based Asatta and their debut full length Spiralling Into Oblivion because, as doom debuts go, this one ranks with the very best!

First things first, this album is heavier than the proverbial sack of spanners (with a few anvils thrown in) and by the time your shattered carcass reaches the end of it, you’ll feel like you’ve been battered repeatedly around the ol’ lug holes with said sack too!

Opening track “Three Dials” builds tension nicely with some obligatory distorted guitar before the paint-stripping vocals of Sean Anderson kick in and a tectonic plate sized riff levels all that stands in its way. While, at times, Spiralling Into Oblivion can be an oppressively dense listen – leaving you feeling like your chest is being crushed by the weight of the bands combined slow motion attack – you get the sense that Asatta are fully aware of this and know exactly when to mix things up. Examples? How about the cosmic samples found on “Breath Of Kali” and the numerous tempo changes, that transform from a crawl to a brutal lumbering groove, on monolithic closer, “Son Of The Morning”.

Considering this is Asatta’s debut album – and the band have only released two EP’s prior to this – Spiralling Into Oblivion is an assured and confident recording. The band play their arses off and the combined force of the guitars of Jay Denzer and the bass of Joe Arenas prove enough to KO a rampaging Mastodon while Sean Anderson sounds like he’s about to rupture something important….and we mean that as a compliment!

Lovers of the heavier, more abrasive side of doom should find plenty to enjoy here and a more pleasurable slow motion aural battering you’d be hard pressed to find this year. 8/10