The realm of doom is a place that can vary from anything that’s little more than a hit of the ol’ bong to an incredibly dark, terrifying place that only the bravest or most foolish souls dare to venture. While I’m a fan of both, it’s the latter that holds my greater interest as I adore the crushing intensity of it all especially when it’s done right. A brand new band that pulls it off is a type of ecstasy that I’m all but addicted to, and Lowered offers a satisfying hit that’s all but fucking intoxicating!

The last time I’ve heard a doom band that I immediately hit off with when it came to their debut of amazing splendor was Dragged’s criminally unknown debut of “We Summon”. In the band’s silence since then, I’ve been on a very casual search for a band very much like them yet still keeping things broad: heavy as fuck with intensity backed up with subtle melody. Hearing Lowered’s eponymous debut, I knew I found what I’ve been looking for! That cover art is but a fitting prelude to what you can expect from what Lowered has dragged out of the black abyss, and the ensuing four tracks are nothing to scoff at whatsoever! What Lowered lacks in number of tracks they immediately make up for in sheer quality as their especially potent blend of black and doom metal create a vortex of bone and shadow the likes of which we’ve definitely seen before, but Lowered does such an amazing job at guiding it all with masterful strokes that one cannot help but become consumed by their intensity. Each track sticks to the same style and sound for the most part, but I’m willing to excuse such a thing given this is Lowered’s debut as a unit and given the quality of it all I’ll only further immerse myself in the blackened madness that this album is. Pieces like these are rarities that I’m unfortunately not coming into contact with very often, and thankfully Lowered has given me something the likes of which I haven’t heard in years and it couldn’t have been done better!

I’m always cautious with debuts as they can always go in either direction, and I can’t be thankful enough that Lowered more than exceeded my expectations as their debut is practically all but immaculate. Should you want a top-notch release that you can only truly find in the underground, then Lowered is the band that you need to keep your eyes on from now on just like I will be!

LISTEN to “Lowered” on Bandcamp here.

Unfortunately, Lowered does not have any sort of official social media that I could find so all I can ask is that you please follow this promising band on Bandcamp and keep your eyes peeled! I would greatly appreciate such and I’m sure the band will to.