Skumring released this demo by themselves in 2004, limited to a hundred copies. Aftermath Music (no not Dr. Dre’s label) found that this band deserved more attention and re-released it in an larger amount, namely a thousand. I myself feared that it would once more be keyboard infected funeral doom, which I hate, but boy was I wrong.

 

If you’re a doom fanatic and the name Thorr’s Hammer doesn’t ring a bell, be ashamed. But that is exactly how this band sounds, and I’m loving every bit of it. Female clean vocals in Norwegian, heavy depressing riffs, and a lot of beautiful acoustic passages. As Thorr’s Hammer had no acoustic passages but female grunts as well, Skumring does make a noticeable different kind of doom. And I’m not sure, but I believe that vocalist Cecilie strikes every note pure, unlike the girl from Thorr’s Hammer.

 

Yes, I have finally found a genre in which I can appreciate female vocals! And it’s fucking doom metal! The three tracks on this demo are literally enchanting and I can’t wait to light a big fat joint to this.

The sound quality isn’t all that great, especially somewhere in the song “De Glemte Tider” where a faster part occurs it gets a bit messy. But considering this is already a remastered version they probably got the best out of the recordings.

 

Seldom have I been so nicely surprised by a demo from an unknown band. I hope to hear more from them soon, because this band shows an awesome potential. Yes, I am in love…