Although we thoroughly enjoyed the musical collaboration Alluvion with Mizmor a few months ago, we had been waiting seven years for Hell’s latest fifth album, Submercus. Matthew Scott Williams, also known as M.S.W., unleashes the gates of his emotional underworld of suffering with full force. The opening track, ‘Hevy’, erupts from the darkest abyss and lays down a path of oppressive doom metal.
On Submercus, Hell doesn’t limit itself to plodding guitar riffs and eruptions of doom with distorted, gargling vocals. Alongside the skull-crushing, complex compositions, the album also reveals a mysterious, ethereal undercurrent of darkness. Oregon-based multi-instrumentalist M.S.W. masterfully translates his obscure emotions into an overwhelming and challenging listening experience.
The fusion of slow-burning doom passages and drone-like oppressive soundscapes across the album’s five tracks creates a suffocating, horrifying, and apocalyptic atmosphere. Like a gravedigger, M.S.W. unearths every shard of emotional debris, turning Submercus into a soul-crushing sonic monolith of oblivion. The album is brutal, haunting, and unrelentingly bleak—hitting the mind like a massive piledriver.
Consider this a warning: this addictive elegy of harsh sorrow may cause synaptic damage and leave you with a lingering sonic hangover. Hell has delivered a mind-blowing masterpiece of funeral doom. We’re digging Submercus to the deepest depths.
