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Sorrow Of The Angels CD (1998)

Through a seeming lifetime of waiting, Eibon bring us "Sorrow Of The Angels" by While Heaven Wept. The wait was worth it! Here is one of the finest doom metal bands on the face of the Earth. Along the lines of older Solitude Aeturnus or Candlemass, While Heaven Wept play extremely melodic doom which is full of harmonies. "Thus With A Kiss I Die" is a 17-minute decent into the deepest wells of depression led by Tom Phillips' expressive vocals. Tom's voice has a distinct vibrato uncommon to any singer I've heard. At first it seems a bit odd, but you'll soon be sinking into his words of forgotten loss. Jon Paquin's drumming style is very downtrodden, yet his fills and accents are knowledgeable and talented. He has one of the heaviest kick drum sounds I've heard. The first song speeds up a bit around the tenth minute. Guitar harmonies akin to Iron Maiden rise before the dirge falls into acoustics and even yields to Danny Ingerson's bass solo before returning to the main theme. "Into The Wells Of Sorrow" opens with rainfall and climbs into an organ accented song of woeful death. Only four songs are presented but the running time is still nearly 40 minutes. This album's sad quality is beautiful in every way, and the atmosphere is crushing. While Heaven Wept have created a CD which is moving, emotional, and sorrowful. Packaged in a great looking Digipak, the art compliments the music completely. This is the death of love. Walk into eternity's embrace and feel the Sorrow Of The Angels - Scott Crinklaw, Ill Literature issue 17, USA (1999)

I came by this delightful four-track CD courtesy of the right honourable Sir Rich "Ale and Kill" Walker from Solstice. I mention this not to boast of my cozy relationship with the stars but because it was While Heaven Wept's inordinately talented vocalist Tom Phillips who stepped in to lend the Bradford overlords a hand when they found themselves sans singer back in '96 or so. Unfortunately, things did not work out, so off Tom went back to the States, where he breathed new death into his own gargantuan Doom Metal beast. I have to say it is Solstice's loss (no offense whatsoever to Moz Ingram), for Phillips' performance on "Sorrow of the Angels" is truly awesome. The music is a bit good too, sounding not unlike Candlemass singles played on 33 rpm laced with funereal keys of doooom ala My Dying Bride at their loose-turned best. Lyrically things are about as bleak as you can get this side of suicide, and I wouldn't suggest playing the disc if you've just broken up with your girl/boy. Marvelous. (8/10). - Gregory Whalen, Terrorizer issue 66, UK (May 1999)

One of the brighter prospects within the small but radiant Epic Doom Metal scene, While Heaven Wept have been going long enough to truly earn themselves the veteran tag. Though there have only been a handful of releases throughout the Virginians' ten-year history, these have been raised to cult status within the fanatically supportive Doom community. This latest slice of audiobliveon, "Sorrow Of The Angels," was recently released by Italy's Eibon Records and is - as we reported last issue - "a gargantuan Doom Metal beast" of epic proportions. - Gregory Whalen, Terrorizer issue 67, UK (June 1999)

I thought this was just a mini album when I found out that it only included four tracks. But I was wrong, because the CD lasts for about 40 minutes. The music can be described as ambient dark doom metal. In the end a bit too depressive, but it has to be said that the album has its moments. - Frode Oien, Scream Magazine #48, Norway (1999)

While Heaven Wept "Sorrow Of The Angels" - Album Of The Month: A rare find in today's metal universe, "Sorrow Of The Angels" is one of the truly unique and awe-inspiring examples of grandiose epic doom metal! The production is near flawless with emphasis on the magnificently heavy guitar sound coming through loud and clear like a CB radio out of "Smokey and The Bandit." Long, long songs that really suck you down into the overall bleak and depressing atmosphere. You can truly feel the pain and anguish of the band the further you get into this disc. Classical guitar interludes, stormy sounds of thunder, Dream Theater/Fates Warning-ish parts, keyboards for atmosphere, melodic clean vocals, and most important - slow plodding doom metal - these are the elements you'll find on your journey with the angels. Somewhat like early Candlemass but heavier, if that's possible! A classic doom metal album for years to come and brilliant listening for now. - John Perez, Solitude Aeternus/Brainticket Records, USA (March 1999)

This is an American doom metal act. As far as I know, the band has existed for quite a while and the booklet says that some of the songs were composed 8-9 years ago. I don't know why they released such old songs, but either way, the songs are really good. "This album is for the forsaken, the forgotten, and the doomed…all else need not proceed any further…as you are not welcome." Well, I don't feel forgotten or lost, but I like the music a lot. WHW plays classic doom metal in the vein of that which Noise (Hellhound) Recs used to release (Saint Vitus, Count Raven, The Obsessed, etc.). This genre is not really popular these days, but who cares about trends? Some people may find that the voice of the singer from WHW sounds similar to Aaron of My Dying Bride on "The Angel and The Dark River," but I think that the singer from WHW does his work much better. Have I said "much better"? I meant REALLY much better, and his voice is one of the best among the bands that play doom. The CD has 4 pretty long songs (39 minutes total) and all of them are great. The music mostly is slow, melodic doom metal but sometimes the songs get pretty fast, but not for very long. The sound quality is good, and the CD comes in a beautiful digipack (as all releases from Eibon), and you will enjoy the look as much as the sound. Get this album for long, quiet, lonely winter evenings! You will appreciate my advice for sure. - Nazgul, Legion Magazine, Russia (1999)

As one might expect from the band and album names, While Heaven Wept is a doom metal band - "Sorrow Of The Angels" is ponderous, classic doom in the mold of old Candlemass or Solitude Aeturnus. The album consists of three songs (plus one acoustic outro), all of which are at least nine minutes long, and rarely change pace. Tom Phillips' vocals are perfectly suited for this kind of music, coming across as a less operatic Messiah Marcolin (but his style is quite similar). The songs (and the album) are a bit one-dimensional, as the ultra-slow riffs seem to drag a bit. On the other hand, there is a majestic quality to the album that should appeal to classic doom fans. - BNR Metal Pages, the internet metal encyclopedia

Beautiful doom metal, including hints of Candlemass and even a touch of early Dream Theater. Interesting music and strong emotions. (from the author's top 10 list for 2000) - Michael Otley, StarVox.net, USA, (2000)

Epic Doom Metal: This more melodic variant on the Sabbath theme was pioneered by the aforementioned Candlemass and places lengthy songwriting and profound lyrical themes high on its list of priorities. The top three epic-mongers are Solitude Aeturnus and While Heaven Wept from the USA, and Solstice from merrie England. (From Extreme Metal feature) - Joel McIver, Record Collector No. 241, UK (September 1999)

While Heaven Wept are the best doom band in America, and although they only have a few releases (a few 7"s and a mini-CD), they should be considered as candidates for "classic" status. Does my opinion seem excessive? I don't know, but "Sorrow Of The Angels" gives me this right. Pure doom metal with personality, as only very few can offer us these days. Slow and depressive riffs that interchange with power/progressive breaks, and all the while imposing keyboards provide the proper atmosphere. Such dark and suffocating atmosphere is accentuated by the heartbreaking voice of Tom Phillips, which is an inexhaustible source for feelings of pain, sorrow, and despair. These words are superfluous - This is one of the few times that I am absolutely positive about a band. There is no need for objectivity or restraint…I acknowledge only the sorrow of love deceased, mercy for fellow lost travelers, and the sanctuary of While Heaven Wept. Rating: 10/10 - Giannis Tsakonis, Monolith Fanzine issue 2, Greece (2000)

This American doom formation's 4 very prolonged tracks of their second release were primarily composed 8-9 years back, but are as urgent/vital as their new themes, and comprise more than half of the album. Classic doom in the best tradition of Count Raven and The Obsessed - slow, melodious, immune to trends, absolutely honest and primitive. The Vocalist is worthy praises, having a very good and original voice. - Charon's Chronicles, Russia (2003)

When the opening vocal break for "Thus With A Kiss I Die" emerged from the speakers, trailing inexorably behind it the abhorrent promise of rancid power metal cheese, I was nearly falling over myself, scrambling for the 'stop' button on my CD player. Strangely enough, however, something stayed my hand, and I found myself entranced by the music, unable to stop listening. That 'something' was the stark realisation that I was, in fact, listening to possibly one of the best pieces of doom metal in creation. Look, I'll be frank. My tastes in music are wide and varied, but, in my humble opinion, power metal is pretty much the worst thing in the whole world, let alone the metal scene. Its macho posing and overblown noodlings are just too much for my tiny cranium to take, and, unlike black metal, it doesn't have the decent music to back it up. The fusion of power metal with other metal styles has, to my knowledge, worked on a single, solitary occasion (Ensiferum, if you must know, and even then it was touch­and­go), and as such it leaves me with a sort of cold dread. Now you can add another band to that list. 'Epic doom' is usually not something I'd usually trouble myself with, but I will make an exception in While Heaven Wept's case. In terms of the dreaded 'cheese factor', the 'epic' vocals are, say, a light dusting of parmesan, rather than the pungent, week­old brie of Candlemass. Okay, so the vocalist overdoes the Messiah Marcolin tremolo stylings a little - I'm not especially fussed, because the actual music is sublime. There's definitely some early Candlemass prevalent, a dash of Skepticism's suffocating church organ, and - dare I say it - even a little Dream Theater, personified by the band's willingness to fuck with the blueprint but still sound like veterans of the genre? A heady concoction indeed, and one that you will inevitably find yourself partaking of again and again. As I mentioned, the 17­minute opener, "Thus With A Kiss I Die" is a glorious slab of doom: weighty, but still grandiose, in the viking­period Bathory vein. It's an epic in every sense of the word, beginning with a marvellously despondent riff, embellished - but not drowned - by ponderous synths. The song then metamorphs into masterful progressive metal, before returning to the same mournful atmosphere so beautifully captured at the beginning of the song. The album, inevitably, sort of trails off after the first track, but at under half the length of the album in its entirety, it's no big loss, and maybe I'm just reeling from the magnificence of the opener. In all honesty, it is more than worth the cost of the album on its own. Excellent stuff. - Alex Clarkson, www.sonicdeath.co.uk, UK (7/2003)