Releasing their own unique blend of gothic inspired doom and gloom since 2012, Mansion are back again with the first track off their forthcoming sophomore album Second Death, which is due for release in January. Those horror inspired, antediluvian qualities that have haunted and disturbed listeners for close on a decade have returned under a blackened veil of twisted and tortured psychedelia.
You Are Suspicious opens under the drone of synths and fuzzy guitars and the vocal of Mother Alma that breathes heavy on the back of your neck, sending chills that spiral down to the base of your spine. It’s deep, possessive delivery is all-consuming and absorbing, raising the curtain on a scene that aches of a drama and theatre. Those droning, down tuned riffs that reek of distortion and menace, crawl through doom laden patterns and tempos, enhancing that gothic soaked atmosphere to a stage where the sands dramatically shift under a wailing guitar solo, courtesy of Tommi Hoffren (Jess and the Ancient Ones) that electrifies the track and ups the ante. More deathly vocals raise the roof under a banshee’s wail, before a sea of synths immerse and drown out all that went before.
A track heavy in layers and textures, Mansion have hit the spot once again, delivering a vibe and an ambiance that only bands like Type O Negative and Crippled Black Phoenix can conjure up with similar conviction. Roll on next January, when we could soon be adorned with the soundtrack to the winter of 2023, thanks to some of Finlands finest doom merchants.