Nomad Son – First Light

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Heavily influenced by 1970s rock and metal (particularly in the use of Hammond organ), Forsaken bassist Albert Bell’s equally doomy side-project incorporate a lot more of that retro sound into their brand of doom metal than his main band. The clearest of these influences is of course Black Sabbath, but Julian Grech’s Hammond and keyboard playing is reminiscent of Deep Purple and UFO as well. Bell and co. have mixed these older influences with those of epic doom bands like Candlemass, but with a more traditional metal voice (Jordan Cutajar), similar to the likes of King Diamond, Udo Dirkschneider and Biff Byford. This mean’s there’s an excellent balance between fast and slow songs, with plenty of first-rate musicianship by all concerned (see the lengthy instrumental bridge of The Wraith). Mid-record instrumental Delirium is a bit of a waste of space, but all the proper songs are strong, heavy and perfectly mixed, ending with The Light At The End which is clearly influenced by Sabbath’s Planet Caravan, but better. First Light is one of the best doom metal record in the last few years by a comfortable margin, and just as good as many of the genre classics.

Written by Andy Lye
More: Albums, Doom Metal, Quick.Play Reviews, Nomad Son