Soulburn is back in action.
In 2026, Eric Daniels (guitar, Grand Supreme Blood Court, ex-Asphyx), Remco Kreft (guitar, Graceless, Just Before Dawn, ex-Grand Supreme Blood Court), Twan van Geel (bass/vocals, Bunkur, Flesh Made Sin, ex-Legion of the Damned, ex-Sauron), and Marc Verhaar (drums, Graceless) signed with Testimony Records for the release of their fifth album, Quantifying Cosmic Doom.
The Braveheart of Nightmares immediately plunges us into the thick of things with a rhythm section blending Black and Death Metal that is as aggressive as it is majestic, barely easing up to insert a few piercing harmonics before suddenly slowing down, then letting clean vocals emerge amidst the chaos. The mix seemed fairly calm, but screams will disrupt it at times, while a melancholic break allows us to catch our breath as the story continues, eventually giving way to Powehi, the Embellished Dark Source of Unending Creation, which returns to imposing tones while creating a mysterious veil thanks to the various vocal parts. These shifts give rhythm to the long track, which develops naturally until it too adopts Doom influences in the haunting passages, such as the finale that echoes A Pyramid Absurd, a track that starts very slowly but is sure to let its riffs ignite and deliver abrasive distortion. A sense of oppression naturally arises from these hellish sounds, but there’s also a more mystical touch toward the end before the sound regains its energy on An Impious Journey Through the Cathedral’s Mouth, the next track, which kicks off immediately and sweeps us up in its infectious fervor, though unfortunately doesn’t last very long. We continue in a state of anxiety with Stalactites of Molten Flesh, but it quickly shifts into increasingly effective riffs that still allow for a brief pause to let the vocal parts settle in before skillfully blending the two worlds in waves that would make even the most reluctant headbang. I thought my file was glitching, but the ending is indeed surprising, suddenly giving way to M87 – What Hopes To Be Born? and its natural melancholy fueled by a strange groove and mysterious vocal shifts, but the track quickly hands the baton to Iconox Spew Black at the Razor’s Edge, which starts very slowly before exploding with jerky, Old School Black Metal roots, followed by much heavier and more heady tones. The suffocating notes return on Down Among the Stars, another haunting track infused with heavy, smoky stoner/doom that crushes us with its pace, then the violence resurfaces with The Desolationist, starting off fairly gently before returning to majestic roots that amplify the fury tenfold. The final is more soothing, in contrast to In the Very Time That Will Rot Us, which picks up speed immediately and delivers waves of gripping aggression before transitioning into An Innocuous Swathe of Sky, where the sound becomes haunting once again, intoxicating, and hypnotic, while the vocalist plunges us back into this dark, occult ocean, punctuated by small bursts of brutality before fading into silence.
With this very long new album and its eleven tracks, Soulburn takes the time to develop its universe, whether in a dreamy Doom/Death style or a more furious Black/Death style. If you take the time to discover it, Quantifying Cosmic Doom has plenty of surprises in store for you.
75/100