Zohammah - Spread My Ashes (CD)

Release Date: 02/01/19

Isreali Extreme Metal metal band combining Black, Death, and Doom.

An intentionally cryptic band from Israel, Zohamah, taken from the Kabbalah, translates to 'darkness' or 'pollution'. It is a form of evil that results in kilkull (or spiritual damage). 'Spead My Ashes' is the debut album from this unique band that seemlessly combine Death Metal, Black Metal, and Doom into a poisonous but intoxicating musical cocktail. Toilet Ov Hell sums up the release as, 'a palpable dose of black metal, most notably in the vocals, which squeeze out the Hebrew lyrics like confessions extracted under torture. Imagine Mutilation Rites playing doom metal and you’re most of the way there. This, along with a few bursts of blasting (“The Darkness Whispers In My Ear”, “Zohamah”) and some moments in “Emptiness” that remind me of Thantifaxath, already comprises all the black metal elements that are readily apparent, but it’s enough to spice things up sufficiently. On the other end of the spectrum, “Black Cloud” is the most straightforward death metal track, mostly stomping along at a lumbering pace and boasting some surprisingly groovy riffs. It’s the shortest song on here, which leads me to another aspect in which the album scores points with me: it’s only half an hour long. That may sound like a back-handed compliment, but in a genre that seems fraught with overlong compositions that go nowhere, I find this very refreshing. It’s the death doom equivalent of a quick fix, with plenty of killer and very little filler.' NO CLEAN SINGING wrote, 'Backed by thunderous drumming and a deep and malignant-sounding gravel-throated bass, what follows are sequences of jabbing, moaning, and squalling fretwork — with a sound that sometimes spirals skyward like fire, or like hands raised in supplication, seeking deliverance from a great wickedness — or yearning that it might come more quickly. While the music follows its horrible yet enthralling path, the vocals come in serrated-edge cries, a mix of pain and/or obliterating fury intense enough to split the skin.' Metal Blog, Death Comes Lifting, recommends, 'the album is an awesome form of depressive death and atmospheric black metal expression, that is a must listen for any fan of the genre.'