Band:	Structure
Album:	Heritage
Style:	Atmospheric doom metal, Death doom metal
Release date:	April 25, 2025
A review by:	AndyMetalFreak

01. Will I Deserve It
02. What We Have Lost
03. Long Before Me
04. The Sadness Of Everyday Life
05. Heritage
06. The Feeling Of Confusion
07. Until The Last Gasp

Every emotion your Heritage holds is in the very Structure of death doom itself.

Structure is a Dutch one-man atmospheric death doom band formed in 2021 by ex-Officium Triste guitarist Bram Bijlhout. A self-titled EP was released the following year with Bijlhout performing all instruments alongside his former Officium Triste bandmate Pim Blankenstein as session vocalist. Bijhout now returns 3 years later to present the full-length debut Heritage, on which he once again performs guitars, bass, and keyboards, alongside guest vocalist Blankenstein; however, unlike on the EP, drums are handled by session musician Dirk Bruinenberg (Elegy), while vocalist Robert Soeterboek also appears.

Heritage follows a theme familiar to us all, touching upon family, history and what makes us who we are. It reflects upon all the emotional aspects we endure throughout our lives past, present, and future, from hope and joy, to loss and desperation. The cover art is a photo Bijhout received shortly after the passing of his grandfather, and symbolizes the album's theme by representing his own personal family history and heritage. Musically, Heritage is far from the most original, following a classic death doom approach similar to the likes of My Dying Bride, Saturnus, and naturally Officium Triste.

Despite this, however, listeners' emotions are still well and truly put through their paces over the 50-minute duration, so expect to be deeply moved by immersive melancholic soundscapes that capture emotions equally mournful as they are hopeful, draped in majestic melodies that can be both uplifting and sorrowful, crushing tones that devastate all within their path, and everything else that death doom has ever stood for. These are 7 well-crafted and deeply emotive songs that on paper sound as if they don't bring anything new or groundbreaking to the table, but beneath the surface they feature an array of elements from across the extreme doom spectrum. Slow heavy plodding riffs and crushing low-toned bass bring an element of funeral doom, while powerful build-ups accompanied by haunting background symphonics add an atmospheric touch, and memorable lead guitar breaks venture into a more melodic territory. Despite these elements, death doom is still undeniably present, and remains the album's structural core throughout.

For what is mostly only one man (plus a few guest contributors), this is a powerful and passionate performance; however, Bijhout is no stranger to this sub-genre, and his expertise in the field clearly shows. It also goes without saying that death doom veteran Blankenstein growls in a devastating and desperate manner to complement the instrumentation remarkably well. Heritage is a high-standard release for modern death doom; it has this ability to take you from a heart-wrenching state of loss and desperation, as if in mourning, to giving you an overwhelming sense of hope and redemption in mere seconds. Each song is an emotional rollercoaster where you never quite know what's going to hit you around the next turn, and there's melodies that'll stick with you and haunt you. This may not be a record that breaks new ground, but it certainly has everything that a fan of this style can ask for.