Now hitting the decade mark on their journey toward truly miserable ‘old school’ influenced death/doom metal signature Helsinki, Finland-based trio God Disease haven’t necessarily left a trail of decisive, impassioned work thus far. The brightest points of interest along their path way have inarguably been limited to their full-length events especially as we consider their shine up to a decent evocative standard on this second longplayer ‘Apocalyptic Doom‘. Though no exact guitar signature appears possible, limiting the personae available, this does not prevent the obviate affect of the music from reading with some believable potency. A crestfallen yet still beastly form of semi-dissonant extreme doom bristles the senses here riff-after-riff, a droning and dramatically lingering mental drain which amounts to a painful yet memorable sophomore release.

God Disease had a false start back in 2010-2012 but officially formed in 2013 with an egregiously sub-par demo (‘Crawling out the Coffin‘, 2013) serving as the sole remnant of their beginnings. That recording is in a different style which should ideally not serve as a first impression… Beyond that point the band would focus on slow and simply achieved death/doom metal with some slightly more modern rhythmic influences. When looking to the band’s first couple of EP releases ‘Abyss Cathedral‘ (2014) and ‘Doom Howler‘ (2015) for precedence we can at least note that the main fellow from Sielunvihollinen joined on guitar for those releases before the line-up changed again for their third EP with the addition of members of Antimatter Belt 1969 and Virulent Life on guitar before they were ready to approach a full album.

I’d first encountered the band when F.D.A. Records picked up their debut full-length (‘Drifting Towards Inevitable Death‘, 2019) in a much improved state of semi-melodic death/doom style along the lines of Solothus or 2010’s Hooded Menace but with a slight dissonant edge that’d recalled October Tide‘s second album ‘Grey Dawn‘ from my point of view. God Disease had a developed an intricate, accessible yet devastating sound for that debut and it’d come out of nowhere from my perspective. A sophisticated, memorable form of death/doom which still felt ‘old school’ in spirit despite its latent sludge and dark metal tendencies on songs like “At The Pillars Of Kadatheron”. I’d enjoyed that record enough that ‘Apocalyptic Doom‘ was high on my list of anticipated releases but after basking in its wrack for a few weeks it seems they’ve lost something, or, made compromises in the process of cycling in new guitarists since 2018 unto a humble result today.

For ‘Apocalyptic Doom‘ guitarists Samantha Schuldiner (Ferum) and Are Kangus (Kõdu) act as session musicians for the recording and this brings a somewhat clinical feeling to the album alongside a slightly crisped rhythm guitar tone and slower pacing which should appeal to fans of earlier Ophis to start. Though the transitions don’t always line up cleanly and the guitar tone is far too subdued for my taste God Disease make a solid, if not insufferable first impression as “Ashes” chugs through as the well-meaning opener. The less melodically fixated parts of this record recall some of the experimentation with dissonance found on certain Heavydeath records but from a more stark, less playful point of view which leans into a depressive, regretful tone which is far less ornate and beauteous in timbre than ‘Drifting Towards Inevitable Death‘. There is more to the album than its blunt and scratched-at first impression, though, and I’d encourage listeners put off by the stiff guitar work to give the compositions some room to do their magick and take note of the tangled, frustrated yet smartly set arrangements of the two guitars which play with disharmonic trailing (see also: Warning‘s more frustrated moments) just as often as they strike into reasonable leading harmony. Closer “Serenity Abandoned” echoes these traits in a more resolute fashion, there you’ll eventually find a gratifying tonal loop back to the beginning of the record if you’re prone to leave albums on full repeated.

I’d been ready to bin ‘Apocalyptic Doom‘ after the first listen, it’d scoured my ears a bit and left me with an unsettling feeling which I soon came to appreciate. The clincher in revisiting this source of irritation found me appreciating the patient, tortured drawl of “Remembrance” as it sunk in amidst a particularly chaotic day. This is perhaps the piece which comes closest to their own take on dissonantly phrased melodic death/doom influenced style which is likewise a reasonable follow-up to where God Disease‘s previous record aimed itself. The rhythm guitar register being geared towards atmospheric heft, something early Katatonia fans will appreciate, sets the lead guitar work far back in the mix in a way that I’d found closer to the early 90’s feeling they’ve intended in most releases ’til this point. “Futile Effort to Breathe” carries a similar tradition in a somewhat catchier, faster pacing but the cacophony of it all never lifts quite enough of its uncalm to leave as deep of an impression. Otherwise we do get a couple of mid-paced death metal pieces here to full round out the experience so that it isn’t a complete gallow’s waltz, “Leper by the Grace of God” making the best argument for an atmospheric style of death metal worth iterating upon in the future. I believe the vocalist is also in Ashes if you’re interested in more of his almost guttural register in a classic death metal setting.

No doubt ‘Apocalyptic Doom‘ could read as conflicted, misery-bound and patient in its cacophony of resting chords and depressive lilt yet I’d found this altogether positive for a death/doom metal sound which aims for a unique imbalance between aggression and darkest, moody sentiment. It did ultimately come together into one great cloud of devastated energy which is yet feasibly death/doom metal from a reasonably classic post-’93 point of view and that’d squeezed a good fifteen to twenty so spins out of me before I’d gotten my fix of morose captivity. It’d certainly ingratiated itself with me more with each listen though I’ve many records in my collection in this style, so, I’m not sure God Disease‘ve landed an experience memorable enough to hold up for the long haul in my case. A moderate recommendation is fitting if you’ve similar experience but it may just as well be a gem for anyone interested in uniquely melodic takes on death/doom metal.

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