Band:	Wall Of Sleep
Album:	...And Hell Followed With Him
Style:	Doom metal, Stoner metal
Release date:	2007
A review by:	Marcel Hubregtse

01. Buried 1000 Times
02. Nails For Crucifixion
03. Crusade
04. November
05. Unchanged
06. Cain
07. Signs
08. Stabat Mater

Hungary and metal are somehow two words that do not add up in my vocabulary. Okay, of course there's Atilla Csihar of Mayhem infamy, for the old people amongst us the name Pokolgép will ring a bell, more recently the band Sear Bliss have making some waves, and to some Finnugor might sound familiar, but that was just about it for me at least. Luckily another band can be added to this miniscule list, namely, the classic doom outfit Wall Of Sleep.

What really marked my surprise, while doing some background research on this band, is that WoS' previous outing, the 2005 Sun Faced Apostles release, was reviewed here on Metal Storm, so apparently I have been sleeping cause this band sums up what I love about traditional classic doom. Memorable riffs, varied clean vocals, unexpected hooks and punches, simple, yet effective, drumming, pounding bass, beautiful artwork.

The eight tracks clock in at just under 40 minutes, and while some people will find this to be way too short I think it is perfect, for now those forty minutes will leave a lasting impact and make you play the cd again immediately once it is finished.
Buried 1000 Times gets proceedings going in what turns out to be typical Wall Of Sleep style. Mid-paced yet doomy as hell. It is characterised but the heavy groovy riffing which is carried by Gábor Holdampf's exalted slightly mournful vocals. The tiny variations in pace make this song to be a perfect album opener. Almost all songs on And Hell Followed With Him are of the mid-paced variety, however when they WoS shifts down a gear, as they do for the entirety of November, half way through the album, and at moments during most of their songs it is almost impossible to be left untouched. At is at moments such as this that one realises how beautiful and emotion evoking music, and in particular doom metal can be.
The sad, yet uplifting music created is drenched with a deep love for the blues it seems. The most important aspect of song writing WoS does not lose track off, and that is that a song in order to stick has to have a head and a tail and be infectious and memorable. Memorable they certainly are, after just one spin it was impossible for me to banish the melodies from my mind.

Usually when listening to such a doom act the first band name that springs to mind is Black Sabbath, well, not here, here the band that keeps popping up in the back of my head is Place Of Skulls, not only musically, but also lyrically. Like PoS the Hungarian Wall Of Sleep draws inspiration from the Bible lyrically. All the lyrics on the lyric sheet are preceded by quotations from the Bible, and the lyrics themselves are also drenched by Biblical references.

So, all in all, a great third album by a band that has been sorely overlooked by myself these past five years. If infectious memorable doom that is firmly rooted in the 70's bluesy, melodic doom rock style is your thing then ?And Hell Followed With Him is certainly for you.
Like is says in the biography: fans of Sabbath, St. Vitus/The Obsessed, Trouble and Pentagram/Place Of Skulls will love ?And Hell Followed With Him, as will aficionados of label mates Pale Divine.


Stand-out tracks: Buried 1000 Times, November, Signs, Stabat Mater