Italy’s masters of misery continue forging their bleak path with their ever-evolving brand of nihilistic gothic doom metal. Hurt Yourself… shows all the mastery of craft you’d expect from a band releasing their eighth album.
From the opening Soulless Upheaval it’s clear that this is their most extreme album to date. Lengthy swathes of jagged death metal unfurl into cavernous dirges and soaring leads weave through to create some truly grandiose moments.
Meanwhile, passages of black metal reminiscent of their early work gallops forth and icy tremolo-picking cuts through the fray, shifting into a melodic groove of their trademark gothic atmosphere reminiscent of early Katatonia and Opeth.
The cleanly sung vocals from previous albums are long gone, keeping proceedings to a more satisfyingly nasty bite. It’s all wrapped in crisp production that perfectly showcases the full force of the band and takes none of the gritty mood away.
This is a no-nonsense ordeal and showcases why Forgotten Tomb are rightfully considered one of the leading bands in the genre./o:p
