THIS IS WHAT DEATH DOOM SHOULD BE!!! This album is brilliant. Pure, in-your-face death doom. My Shameful have returned (though they never really left) in 2004 with the amazing ‘Of Dust.’ Damn, what is it about them Finnish people and doom metal? I have no idea, and I don’t really care, because My Shameful have come up with what I say is one of the best doom releases of the year.

The thing that stands out the most about this album are the riffs/melodies. They are fairly predictable and familiar, YET they turn out different, and that little difference blends perfectly. For instance, the song “Your Darkness Shine.” The main riff sounds familiar, like it’s been played out way too many times, but there is a final strum of the guitar and bass that is left out, leaving the previous note to carry and a cymbal hit to take its place. It works beautifully. Another is the song “I Found Nothing Sacred,” which takes a predictable piano line, and changes the last two notes, making them lower, throwing you off completely. But it fits surprisingly well. The overall feel of the 56 minutes this album takes up is fitting for the style: an overwhelming sense on impending DOOM. Highlights of the album are “Your Darkness Shine” (probably the single best song on here), “I Found Nothing Sacred,” “Disappointment,” and closer “To Never Return.”

Musicianship is flawless on the album. Every note hit when needed, instruments blending together amazingly well, vocals aren’t too deep, held back or strained, everything just intertwines perfectly. One surprising thing about the production, besides how well it fits the music, is the way the bass drum was recorded and mixed. It’s dominant when needed, held back when not. “One Lost” is the best example of this on the album. I swear, Mark Napier (their drummer), must be one of the best doom drummers on the scene right now.

This is probably one of the more perfect doom metal albums in the last several years. This is a must-have for doomsters. I don’t care if you’re a trad-doomster, death-doomster, sludge-doomster or whatever. This is an essential 2004 doom metal album.

[This review was first published on the now defunct scandinavianmetal.info webzine]