Band:	Officium Triste
Album:	Giving Yourself Away
Style:	Death doom metal
Release date:	May 28, 2007
A review by:	Marcel Hubregtse

01. Your Eyes
02. My Charcoal Heart
03. Signals
04. On The Crossroad Of Souls
05. Inside The Mind
06. Master Of Your Own Demise

I'll probably be accused of favouring Dutch bands over bands from other countries after this review. So what... there's no denying that this is shaping up to be one of the best, if not the best, years ever for Dutch metal (of the thirteen bands to follow 7 are debuts). First we had After Forever, Epica and the just released Kingfisher Sky, and for some people also Within Temptation, in the symphonic metal corner, which is one of the few subgenres I am totally at a loss with, but the quality is undeniably there, then Cardamon with their melancholic metal rock who are still shopping around for a contract as we speak, Hail Of Bullets who have just released their old school death demo produced by Dan Swanö, and of course Non-Divine, Cypher, Magnacult, Obsidian, Detonation, most probably the upcoming Deinonychus as well and now one hell of a scorcher: Officium Triste, who with their Giving Yourself Away have released the top doom album of the year for me up till now.

Giving Yourself Away is only Officium Triste's fourth full-length in their thirteen years of existence. The band's previous album, Reason, was released in 2004 so finally after three years we get a follow-up. And was it worth the wait? It certainly was. For me personally I always found Reason to be their weakest album up till that point (though still a very good album) but Giving Yourself Away makes me totally forget all about that album.

Opening track Your Eyes sucks you in from the first note and shows why these Rotterdoomers are regarded by many to Holland's finest doom metal act. One of the strongest points about the band shows itself in full glory here as well: Pim's vocals are one of the best you'll ever come across in the death doom world. They are truly versatile going from his characteristic low growls to his beautiful clean voice to whispers. A big difference with the band's previous releases is that the keyboards are more on the foreground nowadays thus adding even more atmosphere.

There are no stand-out tracks to be found on Giving Yourself Away since they all shine bright. Six tracks clocking in just under fifty minutes but totally not boring for a single second. It is all over before you even notice it. Like the accompanying biography says: A must-have for fans of early Anathema, old My Dying Bride and Shape Of Despair.

A true doom masterpiece beating strong releases such as Reverend Bizarre: III So Long Suckers, Keen Of The Crow: Hyborea, Longing For Dawn: A Treacherous Ascension, Forgotten Tomb: Negative Megalomania, Candlemass: King Of The Grey Islands up till now. The new Deinonychus and upcoming Evoken have to be immensely brilliant will they be able to beat Officium Triste's Giving Yourself Away as my personal doom album of the year.