Review: Leprous Fire ‘Mouth Of Graves’

As has been covered many, many times, the amount of rock & roll, specifically heavy music emanating from Sweden over the years, never ceases to amaze. Whether we’re talking death metal originators like Entombed, garage rockers like The Hellacopters, or stoner rock like Dozer, the country seems to produce wave after wave of bands covering the entire spectrum of rock & roll. Are you in the mood for some crushing doom? Worn out those Monolord records? Haven’t absorbed all of Firebreathers’ material yet? Wanting to go even heavier, darker, grimier, and deeper?

Leprous Fire ‘Mouth Of Graves’

Look no further than the debut record Mouth of Graves from Leprous Fire. From start to finish, this record is a massive statement of dark, psychedelic, cosmic doom. Calling these crushing musical movements ‘songs’ seems to be an underwhelming description. Leprous Fire instead invoke a mood, an atmosphere. Yes, there are riffs, specifically heavy as fuck riffs, but they are interwoven throughout with atmospheric effects, cosmic, swirling madness, tension, far-away chants, and dark psychedelic soundscapes.

Opener Bolt Of Blight sums up what the listener is in store for. A crushing, grimy, riff acts as the backbone of the track but gives way to all sorts of dark psychedelic madness before waves of massive riffage weave its way back in. The title track, Mouth Of Graves, changes the pace slightly, taking a slow-burn approach. Sparse notes give way to fuzzed-out, mammoth, slow-moving riffage as the band chant some evil, cosmic shit over it all. I say ‘the band’ try as I might, I could not find any info on the individual members. This sounds like a cult of evil riff disciples chanting over a swirling abyss of electric guitars and psychedelic effects. Less dark than its predecessor yet creating the same sense of atmosphere.

Feather, Skin & Nail takes the same slow-burn approach, the intro reminding me a bit of ISIS, before giving way to more waves of fuzzed-out doom riffs, and more spacey, evil-sounding chanting. Leprous Fire have a real sense of when to hit the pedals for maximum effect. Again, I equate these songs more to musical movements. It took repeated listens for me to discern when one song stopped and another began, and I don’t mean that as a negative necessarily. Mouth Of Graves is sequenced fluidly, really allowing one piece of music to blend right into the next seamlessly.

like a cult of evil riff disciples chanting over a swirling abyss of electric guitars and psychedelic effects…

Etergapets Käftar, an instrumental featuring swirling, crawling dark effects that build towards a nice, not-too-fuzzy riff, makes way for Beyond Corporeal Veils, fourteen-plus minutes of plodding dark, cosmic doom. A monolith of a track, it succeeds at both taking the listener on a cosmic-doom-journey, as well as showcasing the aforementioned sense of mood, and atmosphere, which are on vivid display.

However, for my money, the real highlight is the seventeen-minute-plus cosmic, doom, epic Dansen är en cirkel vars mittpunkt är Djävulen, which could’ve been its own release as an EP. This thing is massive, so many riffs, so many effects, coupled with the band’s chant-like vocals really put the listener in riff-hypnosis mode, that carries this movement to the album’s conclusion. Tonally, there are hints of Empress Rising-era Monolord, as well as ISIS, and the cosmic doom of Italian legends Ufomammut, especially with the effects.

I really wish I could’ve tracked down more info on the band members themselves. Maybe the veil of secrecy is by design, keeping the members out of the spotlight, as the music itself is what matters, but Leprous Fire have created a stunning, cosmic doom mountain-mover of an album, made all the more impressive by the fact it’s their debut. And while their influences can be heard, Mouth Of Graves is unique onto itself as a release. If crushing, cosmic doom is your preferred strain, then this record should no doubt scratch that itch. Not for the faint of heart.

Label: The Swamp Records
Band Links: Bandcamp | Instagram

Scribed by: Martin Williams