(Doom Metal) Gift Of Blindness - Gift Of Blindness (2015), MP3, 320 kbps

Gift of Blindness is a project of Umair Chaudhry and Simon Tierney (ex members of Oxford based band Xmas Lights) incorporating elements of doom & shoegaze

Droning, otherworldly, reverbdrenched dissonance is the name of the game here, and it sometimes makes for a challenging listen on tracks like ‘Watcher’, but sitting down to tackle the album in full is an extremely rewarding
experience, enveloping the listener in waves of sound to create a dreamy, trancelike atmosphere. ‘Gift of Blindness’ meanders easily between doom and post-rock, with tracks like ‘Escape’ and
‘Martyr’ featuring experimental chord voicings and darkly uplifting vocal harmonies that call to mind bands like ISIS or earlier Intronaut. Slow, synth-heavy soundscapes give way to abrasive,
misanthropic doom on opener ‘Automaton’ and lead track ‘Dynamitard’, which has more of a futuristic, almost industrial feel. Whilst vocals switch between low, monastic voices that call to mind Peter Steele or Mikael Akerfeldt, and harsh, haunting screams, instrumentation becomes obviously dominant, with fuzzed-out, soul crushing bass and abrasive synth parts used
to drive home a dark and at times uncomfortable atmosphere. At its heaviest, the album descends into the anarchic, full-on noise of ‘Invisible’ and ‘Corroded’. At no point is this album an easy listening experience. However, for fans of doom, postmetal,
or indeed any kind of extreme heavy music, it’s well worth putting the time and effort into a series of full listens to acquaint yourself properly with music that gives no quarter" - Tal Fineman (Nightshift Magazine)

Umair Chaudhry - Guitars, bass, keys, programming, vocals
Simon Tierney - Guest guitars
Georgia Kotufo - Artwork