When
Iron Butterfly recorded its 17-minute studio version of
"In-a-Gadda-da-Vida" in 1968, it was not only one of the earliest
heavy metal recordings -- it was also an intriguing example of how nicely a
metal or
hard rock song could work as an extended piece. Most
metal recordings haven't been that long;
rock's extended performances have usually come from
progressive rock. But occasionally a group of headbangers will get the urge to really stretch out, which is what
YOB does on its second album
Catharsis. This CD isn't for those with short attention spans; the shortest of the CD's three selections,
"Ether," lasts seven minutes, whereas the other two last either 18 minutes (
"Aeons") or 23 (
"Catharsis"). Of course, songs that last 18 or 23 minutes could easily grow tedious if they weren't worthwhile -- 23 minutes of a bad song is much more painful than a bad song that is over after four or five minutes. But
YOB's material is enjoyably solid, especially if one has a taste for dark, ominous
doom metal. No one will mistake
YOB's riffs for the chug-chug riffs of
Korn,
Mushroomhead, or
Sevendust; nor will it be mistaken for the fast, hyper, amphetamine-like aggression of
thrash metal,
grindcore, or
death metal. Rather,
YOB's slow riffs crawl along in a
Black Sabbath-minded fashion, leaving no doubt that the band's forceful yet melodic
metal is doom all the way. Lead singer
Mike Sheidt, however, doesn't sound like
Ozzy Osbourne; his vocal style is much too high-pitched for that comparison. And like
Rush's
Geddy Lee or
Cradle of Filth's
Dani Filth, his singing is an acquired taste -- appealing and well worth getting to know, but still not for everyone. Of course, one could say that about
doom metal in general, and if one has acquired a taste for doom,
Catharsis is worth checking out. ~ Alex Henderson
