Memorial To Suffering (Solitude Productions)

 This album is nothing less than the re release version of this Russian band first demo recorded back in 1996, this work was the first and only one of their extremely short carrier (I have heard about a supposed  second nameless demo… but nothing concrete). A simple and straight Doom/Death Metal is what this band delivers here. A pretty light musicianship, clearly focused in create melancholic and sorrowful melodies, leaves heaviness and density in a second place, while the intense, dark and deep growling vocals are definitely the most obscure, raw element of the entire disc and definitely the undisputable highlight. The guitar lines delineates the music with its agonizing mood, the drumming is, as you surely expect, slow, simple but effective. The bass work becomes unexpectedly outlined in tracks such “The Weeping of Unborn Children” or “Rover of Sin” where provides profundity, heaviness, obscurity and low vibe to the whole music. Personally my favourite track is the last one, “No One Remains”, cause its reflex certain doses of originality in its mid pace tempos and mysterious melodies, but even this track sounds quite feelingless. A remarkable detail is that Painful Memories do not used keyboards, special effects or any kind of cliché, resulting in a pretty solid piece of Doom Metal, but, unfortunately, pretty standard too, anyway, do not forget this work was recorded a little more than ten years ago. “Memorial To Suffering” consists in six tracks clocked at 51 minutes plus a bonus live video from “In My Tomb”; a really solid version, that includes even a contrabassist on stage, I must say this version inevitably reminded my the sound of My Dying Bride… This work is not a must, but it’s far from being a bad album either, being completely recommendable for unadorned, straight Doom/Death Metal diehards… (AP)