Cardinals Folly - "Defying The Righteous Way" (2020)

Sometimes, in the midst of all the dross, a doom metal album comes along which makes you want to skip and hop. In the bleakest way possible, you understand.

Such is the case with “Defying The Righteous Way”, the new album by Finnish trio, Cardinals Folly. In a previous life, I reviewed an earlier release of theirs, 2017’s enjoyable “Deranged Pagan Sons.” 

Even then, despite their rather blatant Fin-doom influences, the band was heading in its own direction, one that was fierce and even brutal.

This has carried on into “Defying…” as the first track, Stars Align Again, makes only too clear. It can trudge and meander with the best of them, but then it gallops into battle via a tempo shift, with nary a drop of sweat shed. 

And then the wailing vocals mutate into a full-on black metal shriek, before it slows back down again with skilled ease. It’s urgent, direct, catchy and, yes, rather glorious.

The album’s sound safely established, Cardinals Folly goes forth to use it time and again to murder the listener. As tracks like Deranging The Priest, Ultra-Violence and Last House On The Left show, the lurch from rage to misery and back again is a winning formula. 

The despair and bleakness sits well with the shrieking and wrath. It’s melancholy you can punch faces to.

And it works, time and again. The album even knows not to outstay its welcome, with a run-time of less than 40 minutes. It rocks only too well.

SHEEPSCORE: BUY NOW!!! (5 out of 5)

Available now on Rafchild Records, and the official Cardinals Folly Bandcamp page.