Band:	Reido
Album:	Anātman
Style:	Doom metal, Sludge metal
Release date:	October 2019

01. Deathwave
02. The Serpent's Mission
03. Dirt Fills My Mouth
04. Liminal
05. Anātman
06. Vast Emptiness, No Holiness

After 8 years of radio silence, Reido have finally returned, ready to destroy the hopes and ears of many a listener with their crushing brand of grimy funeral doom.

Anātman acts as a marked return to the band's origins, as its overall structure flows much more in line with 2006's F:\all, itself an overwhelming undertaking of painfully slow, decimating doom. For those familiar with the band's sound, you'll make immediate note of the harrowing ambient backing elements and general buildups that ease their way into the inner grooves of a spiritually disturbed psyche. These moments of ambience are utilized relatively sparingly, creating an atmosphere of darkness to help balance the scales against the sludgy guitar tone -- an odd choice when taking the lyrical content into consideration, but appropriate in regards to the intended extremity factor.

At times, this album's direct delivery can grate on the ears, made more abrasive by its cavernous production, but its songwriting differs from a great deal of standard funeral doom. While not nearly approaching the same level as Esoteric, Reido follow a similar stylistic pattern in the way they expand on their massive, elongated riffs and leading them into rewarding melodies. Suffering slightly from some awkward staging and choppy soundscapes, things could definitely run a lot smoother. As a whole, however, this is a flaw that can easily be overlooked, unlike its length.

Of course, funeral doom by its very definition implies a certain amount of time that you'll have to set aside in order to properly absorb everything on offer, but in this case, Anātman seems stretched beyond its means for the sake of meeting a quota. This doesn't make for an excruciating experience or anything, but some of these overly drawn out ideas linger well beyond their expiration date, to the point you're left just counting the minutes until things shift in a different direction. Fans of this genre understand that we're along for a cross-country trip in first gear, but that doesn't mean we don't like taking the scenic route. Some variety in sound goes a long way compared to beating a dead horse with the same revisited riff.

Reido have crafted what can ultimately be described as a great gateway album into what will hopefully become their eventual defining output. With some focus on further developing the Carpenter-esque synth aspect and incorporating them in a more seamless manner while making a point to elaborate on different ideas instead of simply over-indulging on a few, we could be awaiting a modern classic in the genre. Until then, however, we're left with this early prototype.