The 11th Hour
Burden of Grief

October 2009
Released: 2009, Napalm Records
Rating: 5.0/5
Reviewer: Stu Occupier

Diagnosed with a terminal lung disease, haunted by unspeakable nightmares forcing him to revisit the blackest days of his life... faced with his imminent demise, a dying man spends his last days on earth coming to grips with his troubled past and attempting to redeem himself. BURDEN OF GRIEF takes us from the stifling blackness of his room to the damp soil of the graveyard where the dead sleep, and beyond...



The 11th Hour is a new Dutch/Swedish Doom Metal band from the minds of multi-instrumentalist Ed Warby (Gorefest, Hail Of Bullets, Ayreon) and musical centipede Rogga Johansson (Edge of Sanity, Demiurg, Paganizer, Ribspreader).



BURDEN OF GRIEF is a six-track cycle of loss and regret, of death and bereavement, and of doom and redemption,the misery begins with 'One Last Smoke'.

It's got that doom feel as you would expect but it's quite black metal as well with death growl vocals and the keyboards giving it a Dimmu feel. This continues in to the second song, however with 'Origins Of Mourning' we get more substance with great keyboards, numerous guitar styles and some (dare i say) David Bowie-esque vocals, at eleven minutes it is by far the most epic track on the CD. It's weird because that Bowie feel comes back with the next song, especially over a great string section and with some epic doom elements.



Ultimately this is not the "heaviest music imaginable" as the record company tries to claim, it's actually very musical with structure and melody more than just doom, more Opeth than Cathedral.