ASPHYXIUM ZINE

Saturday, September 23, 2023

Full Length Review: Haurun "Wilting Within" (Small Stone Records) by Dave Wolff

Band: Haurun
Location: Oakland, California
Country: USA
Genre: Psychedelic doom metal
Full length: Wilting Within
Format: Digital, CD, limited edition vinyl/download
Label: Small Stone Records
Release date: September 22, 2023
The symbiosis of doom and psychedelia in Haurun is so seductive and haunting that I was instantly captivated. Featuring Lyra Cruz's ethereal vocals atop dreamlike instrumentation, it effortlessly transcends the boundaries created by applying labels to artistic content, allowing you to experience their music at its purest. They possess such grace and elegance that all distinctions between light and dark don’t apply even to the most tenebrous details of their songwriting.
"Wilting Within" is bewitching and heavenly all at once, regardless of whether you classify it as noise pop, grunge, doom, ambient, or what have you. While the band behind Cruz are daimons and saints, she possesses charm, seduction, and a sense of divinity. As Joel Panton and Eliot Rennie formed the band and began writing songs, they combined crushing walls of sound with variations of refinement making it simultaneously confining and unbinding.
As a result of the musical ritual they constructed, you knew you were clearly being seduced, and there was a possibility of darkness awaiting you, but you felt enchanted to the point that you did not want to leave the universe that emerged. "Abyss" begins with a bleakly cyberkinetic overture that is interrupted by something like a glimpse of life as the mood drifts into a doomy atmosphere that persists and intensifies throughout the remainder of the album.
During Cruz's invitation to stay with her without fear, the bass, guitars, and drums play their own roles in painting a tapestry of structure amidst disorder. Towards the end of the album, it becomes evident that she is liberating you from the mundane world, which is tantamount to releasing her from limbo. A long search was conducted by Panton and Rennie to find musicians and a vocalist who would be able to illustrate their inspiration in the manner in which they envisioned. They have found a lineup that works for them, and I hope they stay together long enough to evolve far beyond what they have achieved here, since they have accomplished what most doom bands still strive to achieve. –Dave Wolff

Lineup:
Lyra Cruz: Vocals
Joel Panton: Guitar
Daniel Schwiderski: Guitar
Joel Paul Lacey: Bass
Eliot Rennie: Drums

Track list:
1. Abyss
2. Lost & Found
3. Tension
4. Flying Low
5. Lunar
6. Soil



https://www.haurunband.com
https://www.smallstone.com
https://smallstone.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/smallstonerecords
https://twitter.com/SSRecordings
https://www.instagram.com/smallstonerecords

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