Release date: 29. Jan. 2025
The project that’s veiled in an enigmatic fog of mystery – Crimson Coven – clearly planned their steps toward releasing their demo in a pretty outstanding manner. From a business perspective, they had a vision that was both calculated and, in my opinion, executed quite well. Or to be more blunt: they took a rather unique approach.
Crimson Coven chose a very straightforward title for their debut demo – 0 – Genesis. (You don’t really have to be a megamind to figure this one out, do you?) With a runtime of 19 minutes and 3 full tracks – excluding the intro – the mysterious Spanish quartet set out to tread the well-worn but hallowed path of the spellbound and godforsaken genre: epic doom metal.
Riding on the wings of Shadow Kingdom Records, their mission is clear – they want to tell a story. And they want to keep us hanging on the edge, waiting for the next puzzle piece to be found somewhere in a dusty, ancient chest.
Review
After an intro that’s reminiscent of a narrator from an ’80s dark fantasy movie, the demo kicks off with the self-titled track. “Crimson Coven” actually starts off as quite a solid piece, honestly. The opening riff has a nice, heavy feel to it and hints at something big on the horizon. However, what first seemed like a cool, heavy build up somehow… wasn’t really a buildup. I was a little let down that the intro riff stays mostly unchanged throughout the entire song.
That said, repetition is tricky to pull off well. Bands like The Sisters of Mercy make it work through clever layering and atmosphere, but it’s an incredibly hard thing to master. Here, it ends up feeling a bit static. The riff itself isn’t bad – just not quite engaging enough to listen to for five minutes on loop.
I will say, though, that the vocals fit the mood nicely, and the guitar solo felt like a breath of fresh air. Almost like it broke me out of a spell. I just wish that shift had come a bit sooner, or had been a part of a few more dynamic twists along the way.
Compared to the previous track, “The Born of the Serpents” offers a lot more variation. As much as the self-titled song struggled to build a proper atmosphere, here I could finally feel a bit of that Pagan Altar-esque mysticism I’d been hoping for. It’s still not quite absolutely top-notch, but it definitely sounds way more solid.
I’d place it somewhere in the “average-sounding” realm of epic doom metal. Not particularly innovative or groundbreaking, but it holds its ground. Just alright. But in a way that actually suggests potential, especially if they lean more into that arcane, haunting mood next time.
The story ends with the Kraken rising from its dark pit beneath a storming sea – or, more precisely, with a track actually named “Unleash the Kraken”. If you remember the galloping riff from the first track, it makes a return here, though dressed in a slightly different cloak. And it walks hand in hand with the pinch harmonics we’ve also heard earlier.
What left me a bit conflicted, though, is that it’s clear the band can write genuinely beautiful melodic passages and solos – they’re some of the most enjoyable parts of the demo. Which is why it feels like a missed opportunity when they lean back into a more mundane riff instead of continuing to explore the stronger, more original ideas they’ve already laid out. It somehow just feels like they played it a bit safe where they could’ve pushed further into something much more evocative.
Conclusion
I was honestly expecting a bigger-than-life atmosphere, full of emotions, with this demo. While the technical skills of the individual band members are surely there – as well as the potential for creative execution – I found it a little flat for my taste.
As much as I love doom metal, I need more variation (think Candlemass or Pagan Altar) and a clever sense of push-and-pull dynamics (nothing overdone, of course) to really “build a solid wall.” This piece somehow lacks what I’m personally looking for in this genre. Definitely not a horrible record – and surely nothing the band should be ashamed of, as it’s their very first material – it just feels a little half-baked for now.
Overall, a promising debut that doesn’t fully bloom… yet.
The NWOTHM rating: 5/10
Website: https://www.crimsoncovenband.com/
Bandcamp: https://crimsoncoven.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/crimsoncovenband
Instagram: https://instagram.com/crimsoncovenband
The Nwothm 
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