Stonehenge - Victims Gallery (1996)

   Stonehenge was an interesting and genuine band not only in their own scene, but in the main metal scene too. They formed as a death/doom band that counted as a modern style selection that time, when the melodic, more romantic direction of the genre started to rise, led by bands like Paradise Lost, Tiamat, or Katatonia. 
   Still, Stonehenge's approach wasn't ordinary, and for that probably the band members different music influences were responsible. This ended up advantageously, because it didn't make the album to fall apart, but made it more diverse. "Victims Gallery" sounds experimental and nostalgic the same time. Most of the themes are reminding to the classic sound of doom of the '80s. The sound is like a time travel one decade back, while the long and complex solo themes in the second part of the album are referring even way back to hard rock influences. The common theme switches, occasional speed ups and the deep growling vocal style are showing analogy with the more modern sound of death/doom. Even though it counts as an experimental album, the band still was able to find common ground and to make it unified. The experimenting tendency was usual at Stonehenge, and they've tried something else on every album, that sometimes turned out weird. About lyrical concept the band preferred mystical and mythical references. "Victims Gallery" might be very enjoyable for the old fans of doom.