Morgion
Cloaked by Ages, Crowned in Earth

He who does not know how to populate his own solitude, neither knows how to be alone in the midst of a bustling crowd. {Charles Baudelaire} 

 Everyone knows what solitude is. Every person, during the course of their day, finds themselves alone for at least a few moments. Being alone does not necessarily mean having no one around; one can be alone even on a bus, while people around you talk, joke, and have a social life. Mental musings start on their own, running free. Thus, you find yourself thinking about the reason behind your situation; it doesn't matter whether you are the last of the beggars or an executive, for unhappiness is inherent in human nature and, at certain moments, it reigns supreme, dominating the mind as death dominates the field of one of the most gruesome battles. Often, this perception of these people does nothing but heighten the sense of anguish and deep solitude; you wonder what sense there is in continuing like this, why you are so cowardly as not to be able to take life into your own hands and change it. The truth is that it is not we who change life, but it that changes us. Solitude that begets more solitude, soon you find yourself enclosed in your shell, indifferent or even harboring feelings of resentment towards others, who seem completely immune to the problems life puts in front of them.

 This is, from my point of view, what the Morgion wants to convey, a Death/Doom metal band from the OC,  where the sun warms the temperaments of a glittering and dynamic society; and it is right here that these Californian guys emerged in 1990, harboring within them that feel of anger mixed with introspection that distinguishes their sound.

The band is devoted to a doom metal rich in nuances, the sound varies from slow and catacombal melodies, to others more ethereal and some with a progressive stamp.

 The album opens with the instrumental "Cloaked By Ages", which introduces "A Slow Succumbing", the first true track of the album. The beginning is disconcerting, the guitars play a monolithic melody, the growl voice borders on funeral. Subsequently, the track becomes more intense, only to give way to splendid arpeggios. The next song ("Ebb Tide (Parts I & II)") is a real masterpiece; it starts with a dreamy arpeggio then flows into dark and tremendous death doom metal. This all continues until the mid-song, then the acoustic guitar regains control and weaves its intimate web; the melody becomes more ethereal, also aided by Dwayne Boardman's voice. The album then continues with more beautiful tracks, alternating between more melancholic and dreamy moments and others darker, sad, and decadent. Shades of progressive peek through in "She, The Master Covets", and then everything plunges back into doom metal with the last song "Crowned In Earth". The first part proceeds solemnly, with the singer, with his suffering voice, becoming an ambassador of a sweet and unspoiled nature. Then silence falls, which will only be broken by ethereal and distant noises, which plunge the listener into a state of unconscious and veiled malaise.

The album, as you can see, does not present major flaws. The production is excellent and the sound quite personal. Perhaps it would have been better to include a few more parts sung in growl, but this is merely a personal opinion.

 In any case, after some time, even this sense of estrangement from the world fades away, thoughts of another nature crowd the mind, one is captivated by these divertissements which chase away the negative concepts experienced just a few moments ago and project us towards a better (mistifying?) vision of our existence. But how long will all this last? How long before falling back into sadness? No one can know; one thing is certain though, as Schopenhauer said: "What makes us sociable is our inability to endure solitude and, in this, ourselves." The only solution, therefore, seems to be to equip oneself with thousands of things to do, appointments, interpersonal relationships... all of this, however, will have an end, sooner or later, you will stop and find yourself thinking about the meaning of the things you do and, failing to find an answer, you will fall once again into the sense of anguish, disorientation, and solitude that you have tried in all possible ways to repress. But after all, what can you do, C'est la vie...

 Rating 83/100