Hands down, you cannot talk about the modern landscape of scathing and intense doom metal without bringing up Mizmor sooner rather than later. A true landmark name that has more than made its points and marks known across its expansive and unyielding discography, new material from the name is always a sight to behold. Always delivering a vicious experience that cuts incredibly deep every time and serves one of the truest and most harrowing forms of catharsis that I’ve seen across metal, Mizmor’s power has yet to wane over the years. Constantly pushing forward, it is with this new full-length that we see Mizmor tackle territory that is both incredibly familiar but undeniably fresh in its ferocious approach.

Typically dealing with some outward rage to some sort of greater deity or theism, “Prosaic” stands as a clear outlier in Mizmor’s discography thematically but very little impact does that have on the overall quality and approach of the creation which, as we should come to expect by now, is achieved with the highest levels of craftsmanship and deepest passion that one could ask for out of any given album. Right from the very beginning, the dark landscape that bears semblance to the very soul of Mizmor with the bleak monuments to despair and the black skies to match Mizmor’s honed brand of black-doom metal no less than precisely what we should come to expect from the act. It’s a little rawer for “Prosaic”, but, if anything, that only furthers the depths that Mizmor seeks to bring the listener down to. However, it’s not all doom, gloom, and unending darkness for “Prosaic”. It is faint but there is a light at the end of the tunnel the themes of this record not offering holy salvation, but contentment and inner peace that can come only after you’ve found yourself in the doldrums of depression, futility, nihilism, and such disharmonies that we are all too familiar with. “Prosaic” does not offer an easy solution to such issues, but it’s through the deepest of cathartic releases that Mizmor has, once again, offered the soul an escape and outlet that very few can replicate.

With all that is done in heaviness and darkness but still offering a path forward, what isn’t Mizmor’s craft able to deliver at this point? The underground continues to grow at a stunning rate with as much talent and passion to match such growth, but it will be some time before we’re able to come upon a new name that manages to come even close to what Mizmor has been constantly cranking out for years now. There is much to uncover within the depths of “Prosaic” much like all of its predecessors, and there’s no way to deny the magnitude and excellence of what’s brought forth in all four of these crushing tracks.

“Prosaic” releases on July 21st via Profound Lore Records!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “Prosaic” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Mizmor on Facebook here.