Band:	Doom:VS
Album:	Aeternum Vale
Style:	Funeral doom metal
Release date:	July 10, 2006
A review by:	KwonVerge

01. The Light That Would Fade
02. Empire Of The Fallen
03. The Faded Earth
04. Oblivion Upon Us
05. The Crawling Insects
06. Aeternus

Doom:VS is the one-man project of Johan Ericson, one of the starting members of Draconian, playing the drums for them during the 1994-2002 era, while afterwards he switched to the guitars leaving the drumming to Jerry Torstensson. Having formed Doom:VS, he started moving towards his very own path, a path that could lead only to one dirrection, the dark side of doom metal, proving that he's really gifted and has a lot to offer to the scene. Something that proves me correct is the fact that he dealt with everything having to do with the debut album of this fabulous project, from the cover to the production and all the instrumentation.

"Aeternum Vale" is the title of Doom:VS' very promising first full-length offering and the utterly bleak cover with the suffocating and downtrodden atmosphere it evokes asures you that once you pass the corridors of abandonment there is not a single chance of finding melodies of euphoria and happiness. At times, the compositions bring forth memories of Draconian, something unvoidable in my opinion, but Doom:VS is pure doom/death metal that is not afraid to incorporate intense funeral doom soundscapes (like on the deathlike hymn "The Faded Earth). The guitars are mourning, slow and ultra heavy, without being afraid though to present some dynamic outbursts and utterly inspired and melodic solos here and there, whereas the rhythm section moves in the same slow tempo as the guitars, lending pulse to the songs, with the drumming being exceptionally bombastic at times. The keyboards make the overall atmosphere more intense with their melancholically devout aesthetic since they lurk in the aspyxiating by the tears atmosphere and the vocals make their appearance to put an end to the listener's miserable life. Deep grunting vocals that make the listener's esoteric world shiver, while at times some clean melodic vocals, like on the epic "Aeternum", bring forth memories of the clean vocal lines of Mourning Beloveth, will leave scars on your quivering soul, scars that won't heal since Doom:VS is going to haunt you for a long time.

"Aeternum Vale" is a respectful release for the funeral-driven doom/death metal scene that all 90s doom metal adorers should purchase, simply because not only early Anathema/Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride or Shape Of Despair know how to play doom/death or funeral doom.