Process of Guilt “Renounce” CD

"Renounce" is the awesome debut full-length from Portugal's Process of Guilt, making for quite an impressive first release from the new Portuguese label Major Label industries. With seven tracks clocking in at over an hour's time (the shortest track is just shy of eight minutes) this fucker's chock full of absolutely supreme melodic, atmospheric doom/death. I honestly haven't encountered an album of such impressive overall quality from this niche of the metal world in quite some time, so I'm really blown away by this material. I wouldn't say they're striving for utmost originality or anything as all of the staples are in place—from the crushing rhythms and forceful vocal dynamics of My Dying Bride to the droning lead melodies of Paradise Lost or early Katatonia, accented by sparse clean passages or energetic melodic sensibilities reminiscent of prime Anathema—but when the songwriting and emotional tone of an album reach this level of excellence, originality is of zero concern to me. And there are some interesting twists and turns herein that are somewhat atypical. For example, on occasion they'll break into an aggressive dirge that sounds like classic Bolt Thrower, and that really adds a different dimension to the writing that's a bit unexpected. I hate to keep throwing out so many loose comparisons for reference, but let's face it: These bands are all top-notch entities that make fine company, so having such comparisons drawn to your work is no small compliment! I have nothing negative to say about this record whatsoever. I was hooked from the moment I first sampled Process of Guilt's work online, and the full album solidified those sentiments and then some. A great recording and great layout simply round out the package, making for a complete winner for all involved. Superbly well done, and highly recommended. I'll certainly be curious to see what comes next for Process of Guilt, as well as anticipating future releases from Major Label Industries. Remarkable.

Process of Guilt "Becoming Light"

Please support the band and label with a purchase if you enjoy the track. I really haven't said enough about this stellar release, but I feel that the music does most of the speaking for itself. This is truly impressive work that deserves significantly more attention than many underground endeavors are capable of achieving:

The End Records