The respective genres of Death and Doom Metal have been explored to the enth degree with few stones left unturned in the quest for uncharted musical territory. So the amalgamation of Doom and Death doesn’t or at least shouldn’t come as much of a surprise as the crusade for an original sound continues with too many bands to name having married the raw aggression of Death Metal to the slow sombre march of Doom all with varying degrees of success. It is therefore with more than a modicum of trepidation that I listen to anyone claiming to have merged the two genres as you never quite know what you’re going to get.

Evoken are one such band boasting to have found the winning formula, who returns to the scene with the fifth release “A Caress of the Void”. The New Jersey quartet make no bones about their sound and a mixture of Doom and Death it certainly is; slower than the funeral march with more than a smattering of Death influences thrown in there for good measure. A reputation of producing punishing heavy music has been built over a number or years and a number of releases and “Caress of the Void” is no exception. From the get go the title track rages into life in truly crushing fashion with Orlando and Paradiso churning out riffs as thick as horse sh1t, and twice as nasty. Paradiso also provides his more than considerable talents to providing a monstrous vocal display, while gruff and brooding they are certain not to be everyone’s to everyone’s liking it is difficult however to deny their impact upon the music and the atmosphere they help create.

The sense of bleakness “A Caress of the Void” evokes is striking and shouldn’t be understated as many bands aspire to create such feelings but few actually achieve. Taking you to the dark and dank recesses of places best left undisturbed is Evoken’s ace card and they play their hand perfectly; time and tempo changes give balance to the record and help create the rich and textured moods that conjures the atmosphere. On the basis of this offering Evoken are a potent force and soon to become synonymous with the Death / Doom genre they have tried so hard to represent, “A Caress of the Void” is well worth £10.00 of anyone’s money.