The Children Of Doom Return To Make You Feel Their Pain
The Great Rocky Hill | Pittsburgh, PA USA | 04/20/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Alpha And Omega is more than just a collection of songs,it is an experience. Many would call the music on this cd suicidal,but I found it to be an electric catharsis. The five individuals that crafted this nigh masterpiece of mood seem to take a lifetime's worth of sorrow and disillusionment,wallow in it for awhile,and then expunge it to purify their souls and yours too. Maybe I'm reading too much into Alpha And Omega,but to me listening to this record was like being left behind in a dark forest in the dead of night while nine sonic wolves nip at,bay at,and stalk you until daybreak. Black Sabbath is an obvious influence,but I also hear bands like Quartz,Cathedral,Trouble and the Spiritual Beggars on tracks like "Wizards Of Mind","See The Light",and "Reaching". Naturally,I would recommend this to fans of doom metal and "stoner rock",but I would go even further to include anyone who wants to explore the nameless,unknowable parts of their own psyche via quality,cast-iron songcraft. Alpha And Omega is the aural equivalent of weathering a storm in a turbulent sea with only a vessel built from Sabbath,Bloody,Sabbath,Psalm 9,Stand Up And Fight,and Ad Astra to shield you from the elements. There are problems with the disc,namely the somewhat muddy production,and the spacey,psychadelic parts,but one suspects that this was intentional. The production making the music sound appropriately ancient,like a trip through an old,long-abandoned cerebral coal mine,and the slow contemplative parts symbolizing calm before and after total chaos.Penance are adults(in the true, mental sense) writing about anguish,and frustration.They are not a childish nu-metal band performing "songs" that are about rebellion and resenting your parents.Penance should be commended for their personal,mature take on what could and is often easily cliched. Wednesday's children are full of woe indeed,but this time they are armed with all the power chords and Jupiterian riffage needed to frighten away one's inner demons."
Track Listings (9) - Disc #1