Sorrow’s Path – The Rough Path of Nihilism

Sorrow’s Path is a Greek doom metal band that is more qualified than most to speak upon matters of doom and gloom. This band has struggled through the tragic death of one member and the debilitating motorcycle accident of another. Hampered by lineup changes and required military service they have released a pair of demos and a compilation all leading up to this, their full length debut. Did I mention they formed in November of 1993? With a history like that it would be damn hard (and downright evil) not to have a mountain of respect for the will and perseverance it took to get here today. I’ll raise a beer to Sorrow’s Path on those grounds alone.

Inspired by bands like Candlemass, Solitude Aeturnus and Memento Mori these guys lean more towards the Solitude Aeturnus style doom than the Candlemass. I’d almost call them power doom as they are a bit more energetic than your typical doom band. Whatever you want to call it, I like it. A lot. The music is heavy, melodic and forlorn with some slightly symphonic elements. I mentioned their energy; slow churning doom this is not. On the contrary I would say most of the material is a notch or two beyond mid-tempo. The vocals are clean, melodic and have that slightly tortured quality, that almost pleading doom style that My Dying Bride’s Aaron Stainthorpe does so well.

The production is pretty good. I did feel like I noticed some instances where the volume was not consistent between tracks. Like on “Getting Closer” I had to turn the volume down a little because the vocals were suddenly very loud. Better loud than buried though, right?

I’m happy to say that I would raise a second beer to Sorrow’s Path for the songs on this album. It may have taken a long time, but I’m glad I (and the rest of the world) got the opportunity to hear them. I hope this will only be the first step down a new road for Sorrow’s Path. They are a great addition to the doom metal community and I want to hear more. Get back to work lads.