chained to the bottom of the ocean

The Death Aquatic: Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean's "Genesis of the Daffodil"

chained to the bottom of the ocean

Slow and steady wins the race, or so the tortoise would have us believe. Clearly that’s true with doom metal, but it also applies to building a loyal and passionate fanbase. Massachusetts-based outfit Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean has so far excelled at both. Their crushing, monolithic brand of doom is a mammoth among gazelles, moving only when required and flattening everything in its path. Their first album, 2017’s Decay and Other Hopes Against Progress, found a receptive audience among the Bandcamp faithful, which has grown progressively since, and next month will now see their third release Tell Me What You See Vanishing and I Will Tell You Who You Are. The new album’s closing track “Genesis of the Daffodil” — streaming below — is another slab of misery in the best way possible.

By the band’s own admission, they are heavily inspired by the sound and aesthetics of Louisiana sludge titans Thou; even their name derives from one of Thou’s best songs. The comparisons are inevitable but shouldn’t be a focal point. Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean are clearly not a cover band, though the covers they do choose to record have a less punky approach to songwriting than their bayou brethren. In any case, “Genesis of the Daffodil” begins with deliberate death march riffing, interspersed with brief respites of feedback while the drummer sounds like his sticks are made of granite. About halfway through the song, the bottom falls out while a lone, barely distorted guitar plucks out a quiet riff until the entire band crashes back to earth and turns said riff into a veritable mountain.

And Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean end the song not with a bang, nor a whimper. It simply completes.

Tell Me What You See Vanishing and I Will Tell You Who You Are releases October 25th. Pre-orders available now via Bandcamp.

chained band

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