Band:	Archon
Album:	Ruins At Dusk
Style:	Psychedelic doom metal, Sludge metal, Stoner metal
Release date:	October 2010

01. Helena (Ruins At Dusk)
02. Nature Is Satan's Church
03. The Hymn Of Mendregard
04. The Fate Of Gods

With music that's really stripped down, every little decision a band makes is pretty fucking important. For that reason, and because I'm lazy, I think I'd elect to work for some power metal group over a doom one. Honestly. You know, "don't like that riff Jari? Well sprinkle some shit about stars and a sweepy solo over it and we'll call it a day. Not my problem? What? There needs to be more majesticalness? Tough tits."* With the more repetitive types of doom, on the other hand, chances are, if a riff or a vox part doesn't work, then the track it's in will suffer quite a bit more.

Archon is a really talented doom group. Let's get that out of the way first. And sure, that's cool. And songs on this come kinda close to being cool, too. But nearly all of them have little annoying bits sprinkled throughout that, after 10 minutes +, become more noticeable, and consequently, even more trying. And the annoying aspects make it hard to focus on the good ones. There's some really serious cymbal crash overkill, for example. Really serious. I'll be sinking into a groove, enjoying myself, then some crashes will come in (brought way too far up in the mix) and do the sonic equivalent of throwing water in my face. I won't coast off into the doomed, serotonin-depleting darkness, I'll end up trying to cough out the crash stuck in my nostrils and thinking about writing this review instead? and, for some unknown reason, I'll crave Kool Aid?

But here's a bigger gripe: Most of the tracks (three of them) start off literally exploding with coolness. Excellent riffs, excellent low growls, etc. But they have a tendency, usually around the three minute mark, to stop being excellent. They transform from a doom soldieress/Jessica Alba lookalike ready to do a battle triathlon into that absurdly obese dude you see scooter to the 7/11 to get slushies and smokes once or twice a day. They just kind of drag.

To some extent, I am impressed, though. Archon clearly has it in them to write some tasty stuff. But they really only give small teasers of said good stuff here. This is just inconsistent.

Oh, and that crash cymbal needs to be taken away from the drummer asap.

*If I worked for Wintersun they'd already be done with their 4th album and preparing to collaborate with Katy Perry at the Super Bowl. Swear.

Highlight: The first three minutes of "Nature Is Satan's Church"