zaum - oracles

ah man, i couldn't resist. if you read this blog regularly, you may have noticed that i bought this album on tape a few weeks back. when i started out buying tapes i actually swore to myself to not buy multiple copies on different formats, because cassettes seemed like a convenient way to save cash on pricey vinyl versions.

after i listened to "oracles" pretty often in the bygone weeks, i felt more and more tempted to get the vinyl version because of the fantastic cover art. to have that in vinyl format felt way cooler than to look at the cassette. a recent repress on yellow vinyl was steadily available at ebay and i was fighting with the voice of reason and the voice of temptation. in the end temptation's voice screamed louder and again i found myself being unable to resist.

on the one hand i am annoyed that i gave in and that self-restraint isn't my specialty, but on the other hand that sweet vinyl edition makes me smile everytime i pulled it from the racks. the cover art by carter doody looks just so good and the nice opaque yellow vinyl looks very nice in the whole context. (my camera had problems to actually capture the vinyl colour properly - well, nevermind)

i can only repeat myself when i say that zaum's debut is one of the best doom metal records i came across this year. the album was released in 2014, so i am a bit late here. the fact that with this yellow vinyl edition "oracles" is in its third pressing already, stands for the quality of the album. don't know how many of this scorcher have been pressed. i hate records. 2014/2017.

zaum - eidolon

after i listened quite a lot to "oracles" because it is probably the best doom metal record i came across this year so far, i wanted more. the overall oriental/mesopotamian theme really appealed to me and so i checked what further works the duo might have under their belt. i stumbled upon their most recent album "eidolon" from two years ago. i checked possibilities to grab a copy on the internet and found an option at high roller records from germany. i added a copy of "eidolon" to the two gorguts re-issues, i wrote about recently, and it arrived here in prime condition.

it seems like the two dude's favourite subject in school were the history lessons. "oracles" brought us back into the ancient middle east and "eidolon" tells a story of a high culture from south america. frankly, i have to admit that i fail to distinguish between maya, aztec and inca. i read in some review it was about the aztec. can anyone shed some light on the issue? musically this is yet another masterpiece of mystic atmosphere and heavy drone/doom metal. the guys in zaum have such a delicate sense of the right balance - you have to hear it! this is a re-press on "emerald" green out of 333 copies. i hate records. 2016/2017.

zaum - oracles (tape)

zaum is a new discovery to me. i was browsing the urtod void bigcartel shop, which is a german d.i.y. label and distro. they have some good tape releases on offer and so i stumbled upon a very interesting looking cover art work. it reminded me strongly on the southern lord release of sleep's "dopesmoker". i love painted vast landscapes as cover art and so i was bound to listen to some tunes. after the duration of thirteen minutes called "zealot", i knew i had to have this. five bucks paid and a few days later my cassette copy arrived.

the whole journey through "oracles" is as mysterious as it is stirring. it is quite amazing that just two guys can create such a dense atmosphere. drums, a 6-string bass and a voice as the core elements. a little synthesizer here, a bit sitar there and there you go - perfect monolithic doom metal record with a hefty oriental edge to it. do yourself a favour and check them out. the tape itself is of high quality. great sound all the way through and good preservation of the whole artwork throughout the j-card. still i consider getting the vinyl version as well - time will tell. 100 copies made as a re-press by greek aisxini records this year. originally released on i hate records in 2014.