REVEREND BIZARRE „So Long Suckers”

Genre: Doom
Country: Finland
Website: http://reverend.shows.it/
http://www.myspace.com/reverend_bizarre
Cool songs: All of them

This album marks the end of an era for a truly great doom metal band. REVEREND BIZARRE have been pleasing doom fans for over a decade, but now their time has come to lay the Reverend to rest. So long suckers is the last studio album the band plan to release and they have certainly gone about finishing off in style. While the album title may not seem the most sentimental of notions, this album is sure to please doom fans. The album is a double release clocking in at over two hours of pure doom excellence. The sticker on the front states, doom is dead and certainly REVEREND BIZARRE will be missed in doom circles.

The album takes a more epic approach than the previous album, crush the insects. Crush the insects had a number of songs I could get away with playing at nightclubs when I was still a DJ. This doesnt have that option with three of the songs going past the 20 minute mark this is a return to the epic storytelling of previous songs like the wandering Jew. The album contains eight songs worth of heavy slabs of doom, each one a master piece of the genre. Despite the length of many of the tracks they dont seem to drag. They have changes of pace and solos within them and each track just seems to flow right. You may not sit down and listen to this album all in one go very often, but that does not take away from the magnificence of it. The songs are good enough that if the band had wanted to they could easily have released all three of the longest songs as singles and still have them sell. Teutonic Witch managed to reach number 1 in the Finnish singles charts earlier this year, which seems a suitable crowning glory to the bands career. Alberts vocals can wail out a great tune changing between clean vocals and screeching. His voice is one of the great doom voices sounding like a preacher addressing the masses. It works perfectly for the overall haunting effect the band has. Each member gets to play his part in the overall sound, with fuzzy bass, great guitar rhythms and pounding drums coming together beautifully. It conjures images of Cathedrals, sorrow, witchfinders, the grave, etc. While their brand of despair may not be to every ones taste I happily salute it, finding solace in the misery. Spinefarm records ensured that it has great production every fuzzy note perfectly audible. The name of the album seems right as well despite it sounding a bit like A Douglass Adams reference. The album artwork is good. The whole album just shouts instant doom classic.

This is truly a great final monument to a great band. Albert Witchfinder has gone on record as saying this is their best output to date and its certainly deserves praise on those levels. While I look forward to the new output coming out of the splinter bands (LORD VICAR, THE ORNE, THE PURITAN) I am still sad to see the band go its separate ways. This band has left its mark on the doom genre. So long and thanks for all the music.

note: 9/10

Tracklist

Disc 1
1. They Used Dark Forces/Teutonic Witch 29:05
2. Sorrow 25:20
3.Funeral Summer 11:41

Disc 2

1. One Last Time 15:39
2. Kundalini Arisen 04:25
3. Caesar Forever 15:43
4. Anywhere Out Of This World 25:32
5. Untitled (Bonus) 02:35

Line-up

MAGISTER ALBERT –
vocals, bass

PETER VICAR –
guitar

EARL OF VOID –
drums