CRUCIFORM: Atavism

Produced by Cruciform

Released: 1993

When doing some research into this review, I looked at a doom metal website to see what, if anything, anyone had to say about Cruciform. Imagine my surprise when I couldn't find them even listed there! If this CD isn't doom, then I don't know anything about heavy metal.

Cruciform was one of the seminal bands on the Sydney death metal scene at the beginning of the 1990s. With 'Atavism' they became the first band to release a CD through Warhead Records, the Sydney-based metal specialist label that would issue a string of important albums throughout the decade. On this EP however, Cruciform weren't just spearheading the local death metal movement, but helping to pioneer the death-doom sound. 'Atavism' actually predates both Anathema's Serenades and My Dying Bride's influential Turn Loose the Swans by several months; had Cruciform been able to continue as a band then they may well have gone on to be regarded as highly as their English counterparts.

The EP begins with an orchestrated instrumental piece which, at three and a half minutes, is way too long and adds nothing to the recording. Perhaps if it had been part of another song, this passage could have been acceptable, but as a prologue in itself it's just pointless. Fortunately, things really pick up from here and with the first monstrous chord of "Sanctuary", 'Atavism' is on its way to becoming a lost and forgotten classic. The production isn't what it should be, leaving the vocals somewhat buried and indistinct and the overall sound something a little better than the average demo, but the material more than makes up for this. Uncluttered by the likes of strings, keyboards and female singing, each song here is no less than pure, classic doom, with enormous, massively slow riffs and abysmally deep death growls from three different vocalists. Lead guitarist Leon Kelly adds a few clean guitar melodies in the huge "Necropolis" and "Reduced to Dust" changes the pace briefly to mid-paced death metal, thereby adding a little diversity and flavour to the proceedings. But even if none of the other songs fall into the doom category (and by my reckoning they certainly do) then "I, to the Heavens Shall Lift My Eyes" surely does. It is this track alone that screams what an absolute tragedy it is that Cruciform isn't better recognised as founders of the genre. Moving at a pace so glacial it makes its six minute length seem twice as long, this track is nothing less than Doom At Its Finest.

Cruciform broke up before the world could appreciate them but they left behind them a six-track CD that any serious doom fan should have in their collection.

1. Prologue
2. Sanctuary
3. Reduced to Dust
4. Necropolis
5. Proboscis
6. I, to the Heavens Shall Lift My Eyes

Rating: 84%