Band:	Mental Torment
Album:	On The Verge
Style:	Death metal, Funeral doom metal
Release date:	January 2013

01. The Path To Shining (intro)
02. Maelstrom
03. My Torment
04. Unspoken Word
05. Cold Rusted Flame
06. I See This End
07. Tragedy
08. The Drowned Man

Doom, like all music, can be an odd thing. The gradations between good and, well, not so good can either be just minute shades of grey or clear as day.

Take Ukrainian death doomsters Mental Torment. Aside from the fact their album cover isn't likely to medal if MS runs a sequel to our "Best Album Art" contest, their first album, On The Verge doesn't do anything that stands out as particularly innovative or new.

In their PR bit Solitude Productions implies this release would be a "precious present for fans of Officium Triste."

Not sure about the gift aspect, but if searching for a starting point to describe their sound, OT is as good as any.

On The Verge contains a lot of what I found in Officium Triste's latest? doom roaring, melodic-yet-melancholic leads, lots of woe and general sadness going around. There are no "This one time, at doombandcamp, Evoke Thy Lords stuck a flute in their... mix" moments.

At this point it seems like I'm on the verge of slamming the band, but go back to that first sentence again. The difference between being a boring, dull copycat and releasing a good album is just shades of charcoal grey.

The sound in this, like OT's latest, is (well, weak drums aside) really lush and deep, a perfect way to capture mood laid out in the music. The songs are crafted well, seemingly riding the line between slow development to the point of boredom and slow enough moving to be compelling, somehow maintaining just to the side of "I'm enjoying them."

All in all I found the album to be a pleasant surprise and an enjoyable listen. Perhaps adding a few twists and turns to their well-executed tunes Mental Torment might be On The Verge of something great on their sophomore follow-up. But I'm certainly enjoying this for now.