On the precipice of their third decade, Hooded Menace stand not as a bridge but the pillar between two distinct realms of underground metal. The band\u2019s seventh album is still rooted in cultish obsession with classic horrors. But with Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration, these stewards of death-doom remain far from stuck in their ways.<\/p>\n
The Knights Templar still stand watch over Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration. \u201cPale Masquerade\u201d summons film director Amando de Ossorio\u2019s flesh-eating muse with a fresh heap of bone-crunching chugs and death growls that reek of the tomb. While the lasting influence of Candlemass and Paradise Lost hasn\u2019t vanished without a ghostly trace, Hooded Menace continue to break the mold. Old school heshers will headbang with delight upon hearing a pop gem like \u201cSave a Prayer\u201d splattered with the band\u2019s signature blood-soaked dread.<\/p>\n
Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration hammers home the \u201880s heavy metal influence that Hooded Menace rung in on The Tritonus Bell. As if from a trance, drums snap into a gallop amidst blistering leads drip with neon. MicroPitching and other effects aren\u2019t the only tricks pulled out from under the band\u2019s cloak, either. What should appear from the double bass swirling beneath lead single \u201cPortrait Without a Face\u201d but the deeply haunting moan of a cello. With Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration, Hooded Menace cast death-doom in a ghostly new light. Artwork by Wes Benscoter.<\/p>\n
FFO: PARADISE LOST, AUTOPSY, MERCYFUL FATE.<\/p>\n