Aseethe - Hopes Of Failure

Aseethe are a three-piece (Brian and Danny Barr with Eric Diercks) from Iowa City. They play Doom Metal but with enough Drone elements and general weirdness (they have done an album of Barn Owl covers) for them to be signed to Thrill Jockey.

Hopes Of Failure consists of four long tracks. Each one composed of the same elements - a Doom Metal base with twists and turns in the structure, often breaking down to silence and building up again. On top of this are piled Post-Rock guitar sounds and techniques, noise, drone and a real love for slow repetitive riffing. Both Barr brothers howl out the vocals in gruff voices that are sometimes on the verge of falling apart. Eric Diercks' drums are just about busy enough to hold the whole structure together when it really slows down. Danny Barr's bass seems to be the random element - low and growling it doesn't always go for the easy option.

Aseethe are also experts at both the type of riff that Sleep can do where it's so slow that you can't quite work out what it is or where it repeats (as on Sever The Head) and real basic, two chord repetition (Barren Soil). The final song, Into The Sun, is a good example of their craft. It has super-slow, repetitive riffing, it breaks down to silence but builds up again with a non-metal riff before a particularly thrilling finish with another repetitive riff, another growling bass-line, another throat-shredding vocal from Brian Barr as noise slowly drowns everything.

Hopes Of Failure brings many non-Doom Metal elements to Doom Metal. Aseethe are masters of the convoluted song structure. However, those of us that like to be beaten up, slowly, for long periods of time will also find much to enjoy here.