Old Horn Tooth - Mourning Light

Its impossible to write a review of Old Horn Tooth's latest without first mentioning London Doom Collective. Fed up with the likes of Ticketmaster and other such companies fleecing punters for every last penny, LDC decided to do something about it. Their first action was to put out the Voices From The Void compilation, proceeds of which went to the Music Venues Trust that helped assist those struggling over the Covid period. They then started to put on a series of gigs and festivals such as Masters of the Riff which has featured heavy hitters such as Dead Witches, Elephant Tree, Dopethrone and Grave Lines.

Old Horn Tooth comprises of members of said London Doom Collective and are Ollie Isaac – Bass, Chris Jones – Vocals/Guitar and Mark Davidson on Drums. Forming circa 2017 the band have made appearances on several compilations; the aforementioned Voices From The Void, Doomed & Stoned in England and Trip to England. The band also put out 2019's From The Ghost Grey Depths debut EP and 2021's 'True Death' single. Debut full-length Mourning Light therefore marks the band's first release in quite a while, which I'm sure will be more than worth the wait. With the album running at a mammoth hour and six minutes I hope you are all strapped in, because this is going to be a long ride.

After two minutes of atmospheric build-up, 'Precipice' kicks off proceedings with awesome Psych blasted Sludge Metal ala Swedes Monolord. The Vocals bare similarities to Ozzy while the music reminds one of The Prince of Darkness' better solo material. There is also a hypnotic effect to the music recalling the likes of Sleep's legendary Dopesmoker, and its classic refrain “Drop out of life with bong in hand, Follow the smoke to-uh the riff-filled land”, yep, you may well be doing that after listening to this superb opener. 'No Salvation' wastes no time and launches straight from the off with soulful soloing from Chris Jones. The track may be monstrously heavy but unlike Conan, has enough melody and variety to keep you interested throughout. I was reminded of Australia's Holy Serpent in spots and their brand of enrapturing Psych flavoured Stoner Doom as well as Soundgarden inclinations with comparisons being particularly evident with respect to the Chris Cornell style wails. Another winner.

'Mourning Light' is the album's first preview track and lives up to its name with the band's pensive performance. The sound here feels far more emotive than the preceding numbers and recalls the likes of Solitude Aeturnus. Indeed the album's promotional notes highlight as much “This particular song explores the bittersweet memories and hidden sadness accompanying loss”. This is outstanding sonically and marks a serious leap forward in terms of songwriting for the band. An absolute standout and personal favourite. At a mammoth twenty one minutes 'Invisible Agony' is by a long shot the album's magnum opus, taking its cues from the likes of OM, with its sparse ambient sounds and arrangements. The subtle use of strings really help to lend extra weight to the mystical and ominous vibes present and make what is an epic conclusion to the record.

Old Horn Tooth deserve credit not only with respect to their efforts in keeping the underground music scene and grassroots venues alive, but also for producing undoubtedly their strongest set of songs since their formation. Even someone as jaded as myself when it comes to the Doom and Stoner genres can appreciate what the band have presented us with here; a slice of magnificence that can't be ignored.