DOOL - Here Now, There Then (Ltd. Picture Vinyl) (Sealed) (LP)

This ‘dark rock’ tag basically amounts to something between hard rock and doom metal. While some tracks bridge these styles, the opening duo of “Vantablack” and “Golden Serpents” adopt these sounds separately. “Vantablack” is a bold opener as the longest and darkest track with thick doomy chords. It has that moroseness one would expect of the genre but it, unfortunately, manifests with more lethargy than ominousness and more dreariness than atmosphere. It struggles to justify its length and retain the listener’s focus which becomes a problem evident through a lot of the album. However, it’s contrasted by the relative jauntiness and immediacy of “Golden Serpents,” the combination with which demonstrates the range of sound used by Dool as a whole. This one is fresher and melodic which makes for a more engaging listen. As for other positives, I do like the almost funky feel in a few of the guitar passages. The band cites 3 guitarists so I couldn’t say who it is but there’s a fairly unique style of play in these moments which suggest to me a single player. “Golden Serpents” and “Words on Paper” incorporate such parts and they’re far better than the standard atmospheric rock guitars more typically employed. Otherwise, the instrumentation is competent if unremarkable much like the majority of this music and the bland production aesthetic. Here Now, There Then isn’t fundamentally terrible but neither is it sufficiently enthusing to even somewhat recommend.