Count Raven – Mammons War

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Mammons War is the first Count Raven album for 13 years, with just Dan Fondelius remaining from the original line-up. And the Black Sabbath comparisons have not gone away. After the original rhythm section of Tommy Eriksson (bass) and Christer Petersson (drums) left a reformed Count Raven in 2006 Fondelius hired Fredrik Jansson and Jens Bock as respective replacements to record Mammons War, but while some of the riffs on the heavier songs sound like they could have come from the writing sessions for Sabbath’s debut, there’s a lot of variation on this record, particularly in the later tracks. Between classic doom stompers like Scream, Magic Is…, The Poltergeist (vocals here actually closer to Andy Alkman) and anthemic Nashira come two slow, minimalist tracks in Mammons War and Increasing Deserts, the former heavily echoed simple guitar piece that sounds almost electronic, the later an synth piece with a choral vibe. Both sombre, both still doom, both brilliant. Then there’s To Love, Wherever You Are, which is a classic piece despairing acoustic doom, and A Lifetime, which is a ten-minute epic complete with a Planet Caravan acoustic guitar and hand-drum interlude. So yes, he may sound like Ozzy, but this is a more adventurous album than Ozzy’s made in decades.

Written by Andy Lye
More: Albums, Doom Metal, Quick.Play Reviews, Count Raven