Last August I discovered Convocation, a relatively new Finnish band with an auspicious line-up consisting of L.L., who writes the music and performs all the instruments, and M. Neuman, who handles the lyrics and vocals. L.L. is also the main man behind Desolate Shrine, whose 2017 album Deliverance From the Godless Void (reviewed here) was one of last year’s stand-out records, and Neuman is also the vocalist for the wonderful Dark Buddha Rising.

At the time of that August discovery, the Convocation Bandcamp page was populated with unmastered versions of four tracks, all of which had appeared just days before, but weren’t there for long. I was particularly taken with “Ruins of Ourselves“, a staggeringly heavy union of funeral doom and death metal. It was punishingly crushing, with titanic, gloomy chords and gut-punching percussion that together made the earth seem to quiver. Spectral guitar melodies, eerie ambient layers, and Neuman’s own haunting clean tones gave the music a ghostly atmosphere — though most of the time his vocals were terrifyingly craggy. And in addition to being stunningly heavy, the music was mesmerizing.

Just based on that one song, I was quick to write that Convocation would be “a brilliant new entry into the annals of doom/death”.

Later last year we happily announced for the first time that Convocation’s debut album, Scars Across, had been mixed and was ready for mastering — and that the Italian label Everlasting Spew Records would be releasing it by the spring of this year. And so, that is now coming to pass. The album will be released on March 30th, and today we’re privileged to bring you the premiere of the album’s stunning title track. Continue reading »