Katatonia - Brave Murder Day (1996)

   "Brave Murder Day" by Katatonia is known as death/doom classic, that's interesting because of 2 reasons. First because it's quite late came to become a classic, and secondly because the album basically lacks death metal related themes. 

   The band's full lenght debut "Dance of December Souls" already introduced a different journey, that's more relatable to classical doom and to gothic tendencies, only the aggressive growling vocal style and the smaller focus on keyboard themes pushed them out to not take place amongst the line of epic doom bands. Their main tone was too dark for that, and the great outbreak that changed everything came by a way more unified and well composed album "Brave Murder Day". They have reached the very depths of melancholy with the strongly atmospheric sound, depressing melodies and netherworldish tone. The album sounds definitely heavier than ordinary doom metal, but the further style features more reminding to the toolbar of black metal than to death. The instruments doesn't sound too loud or noisy, especially the drumms are more powerless than usual in this style, and that gave the leading role for the melodies and the atmosphere. Therefore "Brave Murder Day" is not only heavier than most doom metal albums, but also more emotional. Still, none of these features could really refer to death metal except the vocal style, so the main style determination isn't completely correct. The album was a great milestone not only for the band, but also for the late development of the modern sound of doom. 

Soulskinner - Crypts of Ancient Wisdom (2014)

   Soulskinner was formed and debuted in the early '00s, in an era, when death metal didn't only lacked any attention or popularity, but the genre was nearly forgotten. The band's first 2 albums included the typical features of '00s death metal bands from modern sound to strong brutal death and splatter topic orientation. By their third record "Crypts of Ancient Wisdom" the band switched to a slightly different perspective.
   The analogy with their previous works is that "Crypts of Ancient Wisdom" also followed the actual trends of the underground. Since the second album old school death metal had a Renaissance, and the band have returned with way more basic and filthy themes than usual. By tempo their songs also slowed down so much, that some are just a step away from death/doom. This album also became way more diverse, cause on the side of nearly death/doom-like slow downs and old school death hammering, melodic death features also showing up, and as the album goes on, they slowly taking the lead. If the first 2 albums reflected the actual trends of their time, the third one is like a summary of the band's early influences. The slow downs and the melodic death switch are like references to the late '90s, when bands like Paradise Lost, Sentenced, Tiamat, Moonspell or Katatonia lived their golden age. The thrashing death basics are still there, and in higher amount than at the mentioned bands, but their dominant influence left their mark behind. In total, "Crypts of Ancient Wisdom" is like a late '90s album embedded into the early '10s. Could be sorted to old school death, but it's something way more complex than how first it seems (or sounds) like. 

Indesinence - Noctambulism (2006)

   British doom metal has traditions since the style was formed in the UK on the side of heavy metal as it's less popular step sibling. Doom also has it's specific sound there that's not usual anywehere else but in the UK.
   This could be sensed at Indesinence too, and even though they didn't go much further than most death/doom bands, somehow their music is harder to go into. To listen over 10 mins long to the sound of extended pain and misery is nothing new in this style, but the monotonous repetitive slow themes are more effective  in Indesinence's music. That's partly because they go down even to funeral doom depths for long and it takes for a while until the speed ups shaking up the listener from the depressed dedalian coma. Therefore they cannot create enough contrast, and the scale moves down under the heavy weight of miserable suffering. The sound refers to the local classics of the style, but there are modern influences too that are not allowing to cathegorize "Noctambulism" as another typically British metal album. The influence of Northern bands like Tiamat or Katatonia (that's kind of exceptional from an English band) could be discovered. There is some reference to Paradise Lost to sense at the speed ups, but their riffings more reminds to old Sentenced. "Noctambulism" could be enjoyable for the fans of modern and old school death/doom too.

En las Espesas Nieblas - De memorias y destinos (2005)

   The influence of bands like Paradise Lost, Katatonia, Moonspell, Tiamat, ect. was very common to find in the main scene of the '00s. Especially at bands who played doom and death/doom related music. Even if some of them preferred to switch styles, their gloomy gothic or dark touch left a recognizable mark in the music of newer bands.
   The situation was not different in the case of En las Espesas Nieblas either. Like every worthwhile doom metal album, their one and only full-lenght release starts with rain too, and noises of flute adding some spiritual impression to the starting gloom. Their music definitely belongs to the modern sound of doom (with archaic recording quality and rehearsal sound), but they also involved plenty of classic influences. The depressive melodies and clear singing are longer lasting of course, but the heavier themes assisted by growling vocal creating some balance by their temporary and effective show up. The various catchy themes and occasional speed ups (only to middle speed) could be a source of excitement for those who don't find the genre totally boring. The extended song lenghts giving enough time and possibility to enjoy the dark and gloomy anguish. The songs were well composed and could be suitable as background music for long term depressive agony.

Novembers Doom - Amid Its Hallowed Mirth (1995)

   By following the path of Paradise Lost-influenced death/doom metal, Novembers Doom gave a new dark shade to the style with it's debut "Amid Its Hallowed Mirth".
   Later the band turned into a melodic, gothic influenced direction with common clear singing and gave more role for the atmoshperic sound, but the first album was their heaviest one. Not progression or diverse themes were in their focus, they've step back to the ordinary roots of doom. So except that the concept wasn't different from other bands in this style, it was based on melancholy, heavy sound, emotional background and strong atmosphere. The features of their late style were there on the first album too, but the occasional opera styled female singing and the atmosphere on "Amid Its Hallowed Mirth" could serve only as some contrast to the very heavy, distorted sound and deep growling. Novembers Doom was one of those bands who determined the sound of late '90s and early '00s main metal scene on the side of bands like Paradise Lost, Sentenced, Tiamat, Katatonia, My Dying Bride, Moonspell, or Therion, only their name was less known for some reason.

Paramaecium - Exhumed of The Earth (1993)

   While the actual tendencies of the '90s extreme scene showed up in Australia without delay, Australian bands always had a different approach and something new to add to the main view. Similar to Disembowelment, Paramaecium became a cultic band by introducing another way how to play death/doom metal. 

   While Disembowelment took a more intense path, getting close to grindcore, Paramaecium turned back to the roots of doom metal. But while they kept referring to the original concept and basic themes of the genre, their sound reflected the noisy and heavy sound of death metal at its best. That means their music didn't sound heavier than most other Australian death metal bands only because of the doom influenced themes. "Exhumed of the Earth" was an excellent debut album that sounded like a missing link between the lesser known basic sound of death/doom, and it's late romantic direction (which often lacked death metal features) that became popular fast by bands like Paradise Lost, Katatonia or Tiamat. "Exhumed of The Earth" was incredibly heavy, had great themes and occasionally included symphonic elements too, which were quite well composed into the noisy rumbling. But the same time the album was also like a missing link between old school death metal and death/doom, since plenty of great intense themes keep interrupting their ongoing slow, mournful march. Basically the album was like a genuine reinterpretation of the style, that shows some of it's past components, present borders or possible future paths. 

Et Moriemur - Cupio Dissolvi (2011)

   Et Moriemur debuted with an EP "Lacrimae Rerum" that suspected various different paths for the band due it's mixed influences. However the experimenting tendencies remained on their full lenght album "Cupio Dissolvi" too, only in a better practiced aspect. 
   Their music was probably mainly influenced by death/doom bands who gained wider popularity after they took more romantic, gothic switch with time such as Paradise Lost, Katatonia or Tiamat. The band preferred strong atmopshere created mainly by basic repetitive keyboard themes. To these sometimes nearly symphonically effecting basics simple death/doom themes came on the side of deep growling vocal assistance. The band seemed careful about not making death/doom parts too harsh sounding to avoid creating too large contrast. However, due to their unifying intentions, the contrast showed up somewhere else: at the theme switches. There's definitely a progress to discover compared to the debut EP, and the melancholic, atmospheric parts and the death/doom themes completing each other better than before, and they're even composed together, but still the continuity is not always well working. There's also a softer, quite gothic sounding temporary switch that mixes the two aspects. These simply doom based, strongly atmospheric parts including clear singing both in higher or deep tone, that also confirms the experimenting state. This middle way might suspect some Alcest influence, if it wouldn't remind too badly on Hazael's doom metal album. In case of a real analogy with that direction (that's probably not directly influental), it's more related to some special sound of Eastern European depression, than to the traditional sound of doomed gothic romance. In Total "Cupio Dissolvi" didn't close any doors that were left open on the debut, and the band's possible future step seemed unpredictable.

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.