Norrköping, Sweden doom metal goliaths GRIFTEGÃ…RD – vocalist Thomas Eriksson (Bokor), guitarist/lyricist Ola Blomkvist (Spetälsk, The Doomsday Cult), guitarist Per Broddesson (The Doomsday Cult, Wolverine etc.), bassist Thomas Jansson (Wolverine), and drummer Jens Gustafsson — unleashed their debut full-length, Solemn-Sacred-Severe, in the US earlier this year via Van Records. Branded “a milestone” by Sweden Rock Magazine, who gave the record a much-deserved 9/10 rating upon its Euro release late last year, Solemn-Sacred-Severe was recorded and mixed during the first half of 2009 in Milk Studios, Norrköping, and produced by the band, with co-producer engineer/studio owner Magnus Jonsson. Arguably one of the genre’s most eclectic offerings this year, the riff heavy masterwork includes appearances from various friends of the band, all of whom added to the already multi-textured epic doom hymns.
If you somehow missed witnessing the inherent crush of this record upon its release, now’s your chance to check out three tracks — “Charles Taze Russell,” “I Refuse These Ashes,” and “Noah’s hands” (complete with commentary from Blomkvist) — courtesy of Decibel Magazine HERE.
Words from the already-converted:
“Goddamn, Candlemass move over because we’ll need a lot of room.” — Deaf Sparrow
“It’s essential that you own this album.” — Funeral Rain
“…they play a brand of traditional doom which is emotionally crushing one minute and almost soothing the next. For the most part they sound like Candlemass meets Memory Garden but they play at a pace closer to funeral doom bands. What makes them different is they are a religious band but not in the bible-pushing sense, they write emotionally charged tales and question the point of our very existence.” — Doommantia
“With just a wonderful blend of doom, atmospherics an a genuinely thought provoking narrative, Solemn. Sacred. Severe. has to be one of the most moving metal records I’ve heard in a long while.” — Popdose
“…the kind of album that doom fans would rejoice about if doom fans were the kind of people to rejoice.” — Metal Review