Author: Rok Klemše
Artist: Mist
Label: Self-released
Release: year_month
Length: 9:08
Rating: 4/5
This fall, the Ljubljana Marshes got blanketed in a mist like nothing we can remember. And not just any mist, but an ominous, mysterious, slowly rolling Mist – the brand-new local all-female doom metal outfit Mist. The girls had their fiery live baptism on September 30 at Orto Bar, and since then the only way for them seems to be up. Word of heavy riffs and a seductive voice has traveled far, and in a little over a week Mist will play in Vienna, opening for the famed British psychedelic doomers Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats. But before that, this Ljubljana coven of witches has spawned a devil child – their first demo, which proves that the girls put quality and music ahead of looks!
The demo really has just one big weakness: Mist shamelessly offer only two tracks, barely nine minutes in total. The impression sticks, no question, but so does the craving for more and the feeling that the Devil has only just properly sunk his claws into Regan MacNeill. On the demo, Mist stay true to traditional doom and crushing sounds shaped by Black Sabbath, Pentagram, Candlemass and newer bands like Blood Ceremony, but despite the obvious nods to the doomed sound, they add just the right dose of sinister originality.
The first of the hellish pair, Phobia, is defined above all by crushing doom heaviness, with massive »Candlemass-style« riffs and a pulverizing rhythm section that together build an excellent occult, gloomy atmosphere. The cherry on the pentagram is the mysterious, siren-like vocal of Nina Spruk, who sounds like a hellish musical setting of Jessica Lange’s evil character from Americah Horror Story: Coven. The doubled whispering over the chorus only amps up the dread and horror, while a fantastic »Iommi-esque« solo and the obligatory devil’s triplets round it out.
The Living Dead pushes the older, rock ‘n’ roll side of doom metal to the front, and in the demo’s second track Mist get much closer to America’s Pentagram. It’s the faster of the two, defined mostly by its central riff and a cleverly executed chorus, with the interplay of bass and drums stepping into the spotlight too – simple, but convincing all the same. The production is very solid for a demo, though it was a bit sloppy precisely on the bass and drums, as the rhythm section sounds a little too buzzy and cardboardy.
Even though there’s still plenty of room for improvement, which, judging by what we’ve heard, will surely come with mileage, Mist have managed to record a demo with devilishly good prospects. Mist sound like the »love child« of Bobby Liebling and Messiah Marcolin, and their first demo would put a wicked, diabolical grin on Vincent Price’s face too.
Lineup
Neža Pečan – bass
Mihaela Žitko – drums
Nina Grizonič – guitar
Ema Babošek – guitar
Nina Spruk – vocals
Production
Benjamin Kic & Mist
Tracklist
1. Phobia
2. The Living Dead
