There are throngs of bands out there that have tried to bring out some truly haunting atmospheres in the world of metal with some getting moderate success, others none, and even less pulling it off spectacularly. Onhou gave us a real treat with their debut EP not too long ago, but it’s undoubtedly with their first go at a full-length that they’ve displayed true brilliance. Taking everything they’ve done before and cranking it up three hundred percent, this is an album that doesn’t know how not to deliver.

While I find the cover art for “Endling” to fit the contents of these three tracks pretty damn well, there’s so much more to this record than one would expect from such artwork. What we’re treated to here across three songs that stretch over thirty minutes in total are no less than some of the best post-doom that my ears have ever been graced with, and it should go without saying that Onhou know precisely what they’re doing even though they’re still really early on in their time as a unit. It makes for an even more rewarding listen knowing that as you can tell between the gripping vocals, haunting atmospheres, and simply hypnotic craftsmanship that is nigh on entrancing right to the very end. “Endling” contains so much emotion, depth, and glimpses into the unfathomable that it’s just as bewildering to witness the tenth time as it was the first, and Onhou are already clear masters of knowing how to keep the listener enrapturing across every single second of this fog-wreathed work that just keeps on giving. There are plenty of post-doom works that almost all seem to try to do something different with the concept of the style, and it’s easily with Onhou that we see what’s probably the deepest take on such primal heaviness wrapped in the thickest atmosphere that cannot be denied or ignored with the exact amount of quality that such a work deserves and it’s every moment of “Endling” that provides us with such a listen that is something that really needs to be experienced for any fan of the style that wants to hear what can truly be made of it.

I honestly was not expecting anything near this when I first dove into what Onhou has crafted here, and I cannot express enough how grateful I am that such a promising band has blossomed into an act that could very well be called essential for their style despite how young the name itself is much like Dvne has become for their respective sound. In every form, “Endling” is an album worthy of many commendations and loads upon loads of respect from just about every angle, and I better damn well witness this band getting tons of new attention upon the release of this truly titanic work.

LISTEN to Onhou on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Onhou on Facebook here.