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The Great Cessation

  • Profound Lore

With their signature 10-ton riffs and glacial tempos, few bands do what YOB do-- marry Black Sabbath's heavy and psychedelic sides.

Infinite shades of black exist even within metal subgenres. "Doom metal," for example, has diversified so much that the term doesn't mean much beyond down-tuned guitars and slow tempos. The tree from which all doom (and metal in general) springs is Black Sabbath. Sabbath lead to the bluesy stylings of "stoner doom" of Sleep and Electric Wizard. The doom tree also has stranger branches-- "death doom" (death metal + doom metal) hybrids like Coffins and Hooded Menace; "sludge doom" like Eyehategod and Sourvein from the American South; the astral density of the UK's Esoteric; grandfather clock bongs a thousand years wide from their compatriots Moss.

Oregon's YOB have carved out a niche of "cosmic doom," which is a descriptor, not a subgenre. Few bands do what YOB do-- marry Black Sabbath's heavy and psychedelic sides. Sabbath did both equally well. But when they wheeled out acoustic guitars and bongo drums, they were just taking a break. YOB keep the pressure up, driving riffs into subterranean depths, yet sending melodies spiraling skyward. 2005's The Unreal Never Lived perfected such duality. It found the intersection among roaring guitars, yoga class, black light dreams, and white light ecstasy. Black Sabbath with Dio as singer changed their name to Heaven and Hell for legal reasons. Had they followed through sonically, YOB might have resulted.

YOB's discography is variations on this theme-- again, shades of black. The band is mostly a one-man project by singer/guitarist Mike Scheidt, with different rhythm sections over the years. Even a detour in 2007 as Middian was YOB-like, with more diverse speeds and tones. Middian lasted only one album due to a trademark dispute with Wisconsin metal band Midian. The lawsuit took a lot out of Scheidt, both financially and personally.

The Great Cessation perhaps reflects this. It has YOB's signature 10-ton riffs and glacial tempos. But their delivery is more vulnerable now. The band sounds a little weary. Scheidt's Dave Mustaine-esque wail is ragged and desperate. The theme of damaged vision recurs throughout: "burning eyes brim with tears"; "thorn in the eye, gods that are blind"; "tears of lead"; "eyes like magnets." At one point, "The Lie That Is Sin" breaks down to a single, naked guitar. Of course, it builds back up to surging peaks. But the attack is no longer a galactic wall of sound. Sanford Parker's production is partly responsible. It's more rock and less metal. The tones are darker and leaner than before. All this makes for a surprisingly human YOB record. Before, the band strode on astral planes. Now heaven and hell are closer to earth.

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