Band:	Undersmile
Album:	Anhedonia
Style:	Doom metal, Sludge metal
Release date:	April 01, 2015
A review by:	Auntie Sahar

01. Labyrinths
02. Sky Burial
03. Song Of Stones
04. Atacama Sunburn
05. Aeris
06. Emmenagogue
07. Knucklesucker

When considering the use of female vocals in metal, the thing I tend to notice is that many typically envision them as needing to be bright, airy, and high pitched... that is, giving off a more "pretty" tone than is typically found from vocals in the genre. Enter an alternative to this rather dull idea in the form of the UK's Undersmile, a doom foursome fronted by two ladies, who, while keeping things beautiful, also prefer to take their sound in a more crushing, perhaps bleaker direction.

Anhedonia, Undersmile's sophomore effort, continues in the direction of their debut, while also further developing upon the band's sound in several areas. As the album's title suggests, the music here is a somber journey through a dark, expansive, and heavy doom landscape, that only appears to further unravel its mysteries the further into it you go. Though Anhedonia is in general very massive and melancholic in its sound, there are noticeable shifts in songwriting throughout it, and the vocals of Hel Sterne and Taz Corona-Brown combine effortlessly to reinforce them all. "Sky Burial" is perhaps the best example: as the music is more relaxed and atmospheric, the pair focus on a soft, almost whisper-like delivery, but then explode into a borderline yelling approach when the heavier riffage kicks in. The vocals thus weave their way around the music seamlessly, helping the latter build to climaxes that never feel rushed or devoid of feeling.

Anhedonia also sees the addition of a new instrument to Undersmile's formula: violin! Particularly on "Song Of Stones," the deep, resonant tone of it can be heard buried under the guitar, briefly coming out in the forefront before retreating back into the cavernous riffs from whence it came. It's not as up front a use of it as you'd find in, say, SubRosa, more of a subtle, hidden usage, but it still helps to add a new dimension to the music that only further builds upon the dark and heavy vibe, and it definitely raises curiosity as to what Undersmile may continue to do with it in the future.

Within the realm of female-fronted doom, Undersmile definitely sit at the darker and more imposing end of the spectrum. I've frequently seen them compared to Monarch, Bloody Panda, and SubRosa, and while these comparisons are all valid, there's still something about the band's sound that can unquestionably be called their own. Between the repetitive, trance-inducing riffs, the dreamlike clean guitar melodies, and the stunning vocal deliveries from Hel and Taz, Undersmile have established a highly enjoyable musical personality that is both haunting, transcendental, and eerily attractive, somehow all at the same time. Anhedonia only continues this trend, and is a worthwhile addition to any doom fan's collection.

Ominous music never sounded this beautiful.