Zaum – Divination

Zaum is a Canadian trio, one that has existed for the last six years. In that time, they have released three Full-length albums and a single Split, all of which have seen somewhat commercial acclaim, their fairly unknown nature notwithstanding. Recently, we here at Metal Revolution got our hands on their newest release, Divination, which came out a few months ago, and gave it a spin – During which we learned the following:

1. Zaum plays a unique type of Psychedelic Doom Metal that I personally have never heard before, with a strong emphasis on shifting, almost living ambience (not quite atmosphere, but pretty damn close), taking their time to convery their stories and thoughts through the musical medium, using vocals only sparingly and instead letting their instruments tell their tale for them.
2. The band has a heavy focus on substance over style, with Divination containing a mere three separate tracks, but still racking up a total runtime of forty-four minutes, as one would expect from a Full-length album.
3. After having given the album numerous spins (I lost count) and delving deep into the mindset of the artists, I can positively say that their music is both entrancing and enticing.

Mind you, like most Doom Metal acts, Zaum is a band best enjoyed either live or when sitting still, contemplating over the musings of the band, letting it carry you along – Not, as I mistakenly did the first time around, when driving a car for instance. Doom Metal, more often than not, is an experience that requires a considerable amount of concentration and attention to be fully enjoyed, and these three Canadians are no exception.

The music is slow, meticulous and constant, never rising to a pitch, nor falling to a stupor – It merely is, a gentle turmoil of patient melancholy. I can say very little else other than that I will recommend this album to any fans of the Doom Metal genre and, given the chance, advice people to see Zaum live if given the chance. Who knows, it is very likely that I will meet you there.

Below can be found the first (and longest) track on the album, entitled ”Relic”, making up for half of the records runtime (and rightfully so).

https://www.facebook.com/zaumn