Most things that slide across the desk, you wonder why they got made, why a label supports them, and why anyone has invested in something so obviously mediocre. Then you realize: they are all just doing their jobs, producing work churn, and no one cares about quality.

Consecration will never rise above a B+, but these days, that puts them in the winner’s circle, although a notch below Kaeck, Desecresy, Fourth Monarchy, and others that put full personality into the work. This band makes doom, which allows simple chord progressions to resonate against texture and melody to intensify a mood.

Although they capture the darkness well, this band never fully manages to wallow, so it is like doom but with tea afterwards. You get into the abyss, then find a groove, then slowly rise on a drone, and in retrospect, everything dark really is not that much darker than everyday life.

So put on your mask, buy some BlackRock stock, filter your water, and load up that .410 for a quick trip to the store. This short EP reworks earlier tracks with more confidence and control, making for a mellow doom trip that makes the afternoon zip along like school shootings in the news cycle.

Tags: consecration, Doom Metal