DISTORTED REFLECTION-DOOM RULES ETERNALLY

Greek metal band Distorted Reflection’s full-length Doom Rules Eternally arrives on the back of Sorrow’s Path co-founder and guitarist Kostas Salomidis departing and pursuing this new outlet, with Salomidis also handling vocal duties. It is a project that stays much more in the Candlemass lane of doom metal, eschewing more modern conventions and embracing this more traditionalist vein, though not to the exclusion of other influences to round out the offering, most notably power metal and traditional Greek music. The music at times reminded me of the Irish band Darkest Era, who also pull from this strain of doom and traditional music (in their case Irish rather than Greek). Both also have their moments of theatricality, and are unafraid of incorporating melody, to their benefit. In the case of Distorted Reflection, the opening of "Colours" is one prime example where the melodic aspect actually steals the show.

With metal like this, the star is usually the riffs, and that holds true throughout Doom Rules Eternally. Guitar-heads will certainly find plenty to sink their teeth into. That isn’t to say the other 2/3 of the outfit don’t hold up their share of the bargain, either, but simply to state that the almighty riff is front-and-center here. "Twilight Zone" would be the track that tickled my taste buds, if you will, most on that front.

Overall, this is a record that most fans of metal should have no difficulty finding something they enjoy, again, particularly if riffs are high on your listening priority list. Given the often grandiose nature of the compositions, best use cases for Doom Rules Eternally are probably things like marching into battle or sailing into unknown horizons.