Unearthed Elf – Into the Catacomb Abyss (Review)

Unearthed Elf is a one man doom/heavy/power metal project from the US. This is his debut album.

Having a sightly unusual mix of doom, heavy and power metal, Into the Catacomb Abyss is an unexpected listen in a few different ways.

With a professional, solid recording, the guitars sound thick and heavy while the rest of the music coalesces around them, eager to prop them up and provide ample support. It’s clear that the mastermind behind this band has a keen ear for a good riff.

Also – some of the solos are amazing.

But what’s this? Lush, gorgeous clean vocals, the likes of which you wouldn’t probably associate with such an underground release? Well, move over huge guitars, as these are the real stars of the show.

The singer’s voice is just perfect for this kind of thing. Featuring not only his voice in a solo capacity, but also beautifully layered with multiple harmonies and extremely enjoyable melodies, this is a firm winner in all regards.

The songs are catchy, memorable and each one stands out in its own right, which is no easy thing to achieve. The album is 53 minutes long, but doesn’t feel it.

I haven’t heard music like this in quite some time – it’s so deliciously over-the-top in some ways, yet also so very well done that everything works perfectly. The combination of doom, heavy and power metal is glorious, and the added symphonic touches with an epic fantasy theme…well, it probably shouldn’t work as well as it does, but what can I say? I’m sold.

With so many huge-selling power metal bands out there producing watered-down pap, it’s almost shocking that one elf can come along and blow most of them out of the water.

If you’re even remotely a fan of the style, then this is damn essential.