Band:	Procession
Album:	The Cult Of Disease
Style:	Doom metal
Release date:	February 2009
A review by:	Marcel Hubregtse

01. Raven Of Disease
02. Like A Plague Upon The Earth
03. The Funeral Of An Age
04. Down The River Of Corpses
05. The Road To The Gravegarden
06. Incinerate

Time to try something different review-wise. Yes, it's time for a double review. And what better way to kick it off with a review of the latest buzz in doom world, namely, "The Cult Of Disease" by Procession.

The following two people are the reviewers:
MH = Marcel Hubregtse
BC = BitterCOld



MH The highly regarded Iron Kodex label from Germany released The Cult Of Disease EP by Chile's Procession in February as a strictly limited to 525 copies vinyl affair. Within no time at all this high quality release managed to sell out and the buzz was born. This buzz was strengthened by Procession themselves in April when they hit Europe for some shows at the highly rated Doom Shall Rise and Keep It True festivals as well as a short tour with Griftegard. At Doom Shall Rise the band managed to sell about 150 copies of the ep on cd within an hour after finishing their mindblowing set. So, is the hype warranted?

BC What the fuck is going on in Chile? In this humble narrator's opinion, Mar de Grises released the doom metal album of the year in 2008 with Draining The Waterheart? now in 2009 fellow Chileans Procession unload The Cult Of Disease upon us all. It looks like a wonderful country with some amazing natural beauty and a booming wine export business. What's with all the doom and gloom?

MH Although The Cult Of Disease clocks in at 45 minutes and consists of six tracks it certainly is an EP because the first three songs are new songs and the the last three are off their 2008 Burn demo. Hence, the difference in sound and execution between the first and last three songs.

BC The Cult Of Disease is an EP showcasing three new traditional doom-style tracks ("Raven Of Disease", "Like A Plague Upon The Earth" and "The Funeral Of An Age") packaged with the three songs that comprised their 2008 demo, Burn. (That would be "Down The River Of Corpses", "The Road To Gravegarden" and "Incinerate".)

MH So, what does Procession bring us? Knowing Chile one probably automatically thinks of progressive death doom in the vein of Mar De Grises and Poema Arcanus. But nope, think epic traditional doom with clear references to old Candlemass, Black Sabbath and also (especially the demo tracks) Reverend Bizarre.
Especially the new tracks are characterized more or less a sound of their own which is typified by Felipe Plaza great riffing and great vocals. Not the dramatic vocals as we know of people like Messiah Marcolin and Rob Lowe but more the gruffier type of Mats Leven vocals though not as powerful, filled with everyday sadness.

BC As is typical with traditional Doom, guitar riffs are the driving force of the music. Felipe Plaza plows away, from the slower dirge-like march of "Raven Of Disease" to the upbeat but crushing main riff to "Like A Plague Upon The Earth" - a riff so awesome that Tony Iommi is green with envy - Plaza delivers riff after riff after riff. The songs move around a little bit, so he doesn't sit on the same riff too long, which keeps things fresh. That's always a plus in a genre where the typical song is five minutes or longer.

The guitars also seem to focus more on the midrange of the frequency spectrum, making them sound crunchier than one might be accustomed to in doom. Freeing up the lower frequencies also allows the bass of Daniel Pérez to rumble along without being overshadowed/drowned out by de-tuned guitars.

Plaza's voice is flawed and not particularly powerful, which I find to be a good thing. While having a superhuman, overdramatic vocalist like Messiah Marcolin can really add "oomph" to a band, having a vocalist who is imperfect and human is particularly fitting when singing about woe, sadness, loss, and human failings.

MH The songs' structures are marked by a slow but steady build up which reaches an apex somewhere around two thirds through the song. This is best typified by "The Funeral Of An Age" which at the 7 minute point has an 'acceleration' which will leave any lover of epic doom flabbergasted and gasping for air. "The Funeral Of An Age" is certainly the highpoint of this great EP for me.
Halfway through the EP there is a clear difference in recording quality between the first three, new tracks, and the three tracks off the Burn demo. Not only is their a difference in recording quality but also in the overall sound of the songs. Whereas the first three tracks didn't have any clear references to other bands, so having more a sound of their own, the last three are clearly marked by a Reverend Bizarre type sound. That is, both the riffing, bassplaying and vocals are very reminiscent of our revered Finnish brothers.

BC There is a significant drop off in production quality between the first three tracks and the second three, which comprised the Burn demo. The vocals are a little more upfront and the guitar sounds a bit more akin to the bass with the emphasis more on the low end than the midrange? they don't overlap the bass, mind you, but they are missing some of the crunch and warmth you get accustomed to over the first trio of tracks. For a self financed demo, it sounds decent enough, but when stacked up against the new material, its flaws are a bit more apparent.

MH So, anyone who holds true epic doom close to their heart should certainly check these Chilean hopefuls out. Not only do you get six great songs but also great spooky artwork by Irish artist Elaine. Her artwok in itself is worth trying to hunt down the vinyl version of The Cult Of Disease.

BC If you like your doom traditional, the tres amigos of Procession's The Cult Of Disease is highly recommended.