Mare Infinitum - Cryosleep (2022) Hi-Res

From Bandcamp, “The long-awaited third album of MARE INFINITUM, "Cryosleep," opens a new chapter of creativity for the band. Released seven years after the brilliant "Alien Monolith God," this new opus stays true to the well-recognized elements of their style, while at the same time diversifying their musical palette in exciting new ways. The monumental, symphonic, and epic material is not only broad in mood, but also pushes the boundaries of Doom Death Metal, presenting it as a truly dignified art. Bright and ambitious arrangements, magnificent vocals, and flawless musical performances come together to make "Cryosleep" a work that should one day be considered a landmark of the genre.”

The album has five songs. “Your Final Bow” is the first. The harsh vocals are guttural, and some of the lowest I have ever heard. They rumble and shake the ground beneath you. The cleans are somber and tearful, as is the music. The Symphonic elements are light but just enough to make an impact. “The Flight of No Return” begins with the sound of thunder and gentle rain. Piano notes and clean, solemn female vocals carry the opening sound. Clean male vocals follow, and the sound is desolate and depressing, as the title suggests. There are no harsh vocals but that doesn’t detract from the feeling of utter hopelessness.

“Event Horizon” is 12-minute beast, morphing several times throughout. Heavy, ominous tones open the song with rich symphonic elements. Clean vocals follow, and then the song takes a darker route, over a cold dark road into the mountains. Deep harsh vocals take over from there, with a punishing low riff. It builds to a crescendo of darkness and then a slow fade-out. The title track begins with ghastly sounds…something moves in the dark. A slow and steady pace ensues, with harsh vocals but the instrumentation is kept subdued. It moves forward gingerly and tension remains in the air.

“Celestial Escapist” closes the album. It is a beam of much brighter light and warmth. There are some darker moments, especially with the harsh vocals, but the song remains quite positive sounding. This is a very nice surprise on a Doom Metal album. What a well thought out album. The first four songs are very dark and some would even say hopeless sounding. But the album ends on a bright note, suggesting that the will of the human spirit will endure over everything else. They are fantastic musicians, and this was an excellent listening experience.