“Melancholie der Engel” is like being thrown into an abyss of revelatory ascent, like being cruelly abandoned on a stage of immense universal solitude. Fuck yes, Shamael’s first album is like a long, feverish nightmare from which you cannot wake up. This fascinating one-man band invokes a devastating, and atmospheric, funeral doom on a par with the best names of the style.

An authentic funeral doom masterpiece. Be sepulted by this litany. 4th album, tremendous neural devastation.

Gatefold 2LP, colored vinyl.

On their third album, Ornamentos Del Miedo once again drags us into that personal world of melancholy, pessimism, and slowness through six songs reaching almost 70 minutes in length. Majestic atmospheric funeral doom, authentically old school, to be more precise. Abyssal laments blend with ambient keyboards and synthesizers amidst an astonishingly rich guitar work, and all this tied to a production for maniacs of the style, more than faithful to the longed-for decade of the 90s.

Dense split with some of the darkest moments of these two great doom sludge bands. Tart and highly recommended.