(((O))) : Age of Taurus – Desperate Souls of Tortured Times

I first came across the Age of Taurus as a doom metal project of vocalist/guitarist Toby Wright back in 2010 after they released a demo called In the Days of the Taurean Empire. They actually formed a year earlier and whilst the demo was clearly a work in progress it sparked enough interest to immediately single them out as a band I needed to keep track of. Since then the group has been hard at work crafting their first album: Desperate Souls of Tortured Times.

The first thing that strikes you about this album is the excellent cover art. Further research reveals that it’s actually a piece of art called An Avalanche in the Alps by Phillip James De Loutherbourg which the band have cunningly found and appropriated. Apparently in this piece of art:

“Loutherbourg, who specialised in such landscapes, adds human drama to the avalanche’s awesome progress via the terrified people soon to be overwhelmed by nature’s power.”

 However, in this case it’s the listener will be overwhelmed by the sheer heaviness of the sounds.

As for the record itself, the production values between this and their previous demo are almost beyond comparison. Desperate Souls of Tortured Times was produced by Jaime Gomez Arellano who has worked with the likes of Angel Witch, Hexvessel and Ghost. This collaboration has resulted in a tight, exceptionally well-constructed sound which is a treat to listen to. The group clearly worships at the altar of legends such as Candlemass, Penance, Mercy, Saxon, Brocas Helm, Dark Quarterer and Black Sabbath but they also pay tribute to NWOBHM’s golden years; so what you end-up with a mixture of doom, bass-driven seventies hard rock and unremitting twin guitar assaults.

The seven songs on offer here stretch for a total of 42 minutes which is an ideal length for a debut LP. Not so long as to be self-indulgent or full of filler material and not too short to be classified as an EP. While each of the songs can be listened to in isolation they seem to be parts of a bigger whole.

The warped dark harmonies of ‘A Rush Of Power’ start proceedings introducing enormous riffs interspersed with Riddell’s intense vocals, while the rhythm section does an exceptional job at supporting the song structure. ‘Sinking City’ is next and this contains incredibly dense and round guitar work which assaults your ears in a similar way to being repeatedly clobbered with a colossal mallet. Time and again the vocals help to develop a baleful tone while lead guitar solos are thrown around with skilful abandon. ‘Always in the Eye’ and ‘Walk with Me, My Queen’ follow in quick succession both being pounding, kick ass Doom n’ Roll numbers. If you like large, rock-solid tunes which have a timeless, classic sound then these songs will definitely quench your head banging thirst. Next up is the impressive title track ‘Desperate Souls Of Tortured Times’ which pays homage to the downright nasty Sabbath-esque school of thrash, followed by ‘Embrace the Stone’. The ominous playing on this latter track is complemented with hammering drums and melodic vocals which produce an atmosphere that sticks in your head. And finally, ‘The Bull and the Bear’ dishes out a chunk of song-writing excellence which is enhanced by the amazingly tight and solid playing, not to mention the terrific production.

So in summary, don’t expect anything new or innovative as the band have gone for an enduring, classic sound which, if you’re a fan of doom metal, will make Desperate Souls of Tortured Times one of your top ten albums of the year.