There Are Thousands Of Graves Amongst The Trees ...

As previously mentioned, Paramaecium is an Australian Doom/Death metal band with Christian themes. They are often compared to early My Dying Bride, but having never heard any My Dying Bride albums, I'll have to take their word for it. What I do know is that Paramaecium play solid crushing doom metal with sickly death growls and gothic ambiance.

On the bands sophomore album "Within The Ancient Forest" we see them take a bit more of a melodic edge and more emphasis on female vocals and a mish mash of alternate instruments. However, the bone-crushing guitars are still predominant and Andrew Tompkins death growls make up the majority of the vocals.

"Within The Ancient Forest" is a concept album based on Andrew Tompkins novel of the same name and is essential the tale of an old man's journey of spiritual enlightenment.

The album starts with the hymn-like "In Exordium" which is a powerful and moving song and starts the album off on a high emotional point. Then "Song Of The Ancients" takes it down a notch, though still melodic with an uplifting feel. However, the crunchy doom riffs and deathy vocals help to create a sweetly melancholic sound.

"I Am Not Alive" is probably my favourite track here, opening with a harpsichord before moving into a crushing dark, doomy thrash riff with female soprano vocals carrying over. A real nice eerie touch. "Of My Darkest Hour" is similar in style, though a little thicker and crunchier with haunting, dark melodies with a dash a hope.

"The Grave, My Soul" is a droning doom song that feels dragging, but mixes things up towards the end though perhaps a little late in the song. "Gone Is My Former Resolve" opens with a Metallica style acoustic intro into a heavy death/doom song with thrashy riffs and haunting melodies for a more gothy sound.

The album closes with "Darkness Dies" which is a moving, hopeful doom song and a nice acoustic/flute intro.

"Within The Ancient Forest" was my most anticipated of Paramaecium's releases, but is my least favourite. The mix of vocals is nice, but the death style seems muddled and incoherent and the songs don't have the staying power of their other releases.

Up next, I'll look Paramaecium's third outing "A Time To Mourn" which is the album I tend to go to when I wanna hear solid doom/death metal.