Beyond a thorn-riddled crawl through injurious trauma and the pressurization of pandemia-era gloom New York-based avant-garde death/doom metal duo WEEPING SORES reflect upon the scouring of mind and body down to rawest nerve, creating in search of relief on this eclectic yet purpose-driven sophomore full-length album. Regaining limbs and reaching higher-still through ambitious longform works ‘The Convalescence Agonies‘ considers the bidirectional nature of the mind-body connection where physical and mental ailment can quickly ping back and forth unto damning cacophony of negative feedback in loop. Their destination is one of fortitudinous meditative strength, acknowledgement and release from duress toward a patient, palliative mindset. This is reflected within a record which flushes all frustration and hopeless horrors through embattled, skronking-raw work which hardly gives two shits about perceived sub-genre strictures in approaching their release from agony. Though it is tonally challenging and set well outside of the usual extreme doom comfort zones throughout there is a refined, expressive hand here which takes a considerable leap beyond the band’s celebrated debut.

Weeping Sores formed around 2016 by way of visionary Doug Moore and conspirator Stephen Schwegler, both names you’ll recognize if you’re a fan of avant-garde death metal band Pyrrhon or progressive black/death group Seputus. Moore‘s general goal and challenge was to return to guitar performance and songwriting as the main decisive voice, er, beyond being an impressive vocalist. Most of the interviews I’d read around the release of the band’s debut LP almost appeared reluctant, not yet self-actualized or ready to define their work beyond Moore‘s exploration of slower, easier to play music as they’d taken on a side-project with no real parameters beyond “slow, death metal” more-or-less. Though the duo’s interest in atmospheric and progressive sludge metal was perhaps left out of the conversation to start the project’s debut EP (‘Weeping Sores‘, 2017) made this fairly obvious from the first listen. While they’d likewise pointed to slower USDM for other points of interest in interviews later on no real likeness to early 90’s melodic/romanticist death-doom a la My Dying Bride was all that apparent beyond the use of the violin on a several songs.

For album number one (‘False Confession‘, 2019) they’d expanded that sound, added more layers, creeping onto more active riffing. I mean if the original goal of Weeping Sores was to foster more active musicianship and reconnect with the guitar then that first LP is proof that their whole idea worked. At that point the progressive metal signifiers were out in full effect alongside the violins but the relation to the U.S.-based evolution of the Opethian strain circa the late 90’s/early 2000’s (see: “Scars Whispering Secret Tongues” and “Transfiguration of Flesh Into Dream”). However you’d describe it their original idea germinated heartily from that first EP landing between romanticist death/doom metal, skronking movements, and progressive/atmospheric sludge metal structured outbursts. The skirmish of it all was a lot to take in for a supposedly “slow, easy to play” death metal idea, busied and lithe in movement.

Any dyed in the wool death/doom metal fan who’d venture into avant-garde or progressive death metal territory with equal willingness could name at least a few bands that have (or, had) a taste for angular riffcraft, violins, and such (re: Forgotten Silence, Supuration). Instead we could point an ear toward something like melodic death/doom with tangents of sludge/post-metal and I dunno, something like Maudlin of the Well in there too. This observation might make more sense once you’ve heard ‘The Convalescence Agonies‘, a far less comfortable and duly agitated set of songs which echo pain and suffering via an increasingly unique voice. You can name your own prog-sludge adjacent bands as additional qualifiers of form and the occasional skronking riff, the band’s mention of earlier Yob (see: ‘Elaborations of Carbon‘) makes enough sense. You’re in for a lot of uglier sounds and uncomfortably cut riffs.

When I first approached ‘The Convalescence Agonies‘ I was sure it was entirely different, tonally outlandish as a follow-up to ‘False Confession‘, but the similarities and composer’s hand are assuredly there only the paradigm and the subject have changed to some degree. This one has something to say without having lost the odd pen of their design. It was hard to talk me down from exiting the review process after I’d taken a deeper peck through opener “Arctic Summer” which delivers its arcing riffs and glimmering keys as expected though it my take a second to adjust to the broadened tonality of Moore‘s vocals which aren’t just a death metal roar here. Rasped and noxious layers precede any sort of death metal growl up front and all just reeks and buzzes in truly unpleasant, poisoned state up front. That said it’ll be the guitar tone that hits you first either way, its sharpness calls for a grand sparking entrance via scratched-open chords until dreary refrain introduces cold, despairing shouts into verse. Though I’d had mixed feelings about this opener I’d particularly liked the thrashing change-up around ~5:19 minutes into the song and largely for the sake of the piece lining up as a portrayal of a frayed and erratic consciousness.

I’d found “Sprawl in the City of Sorrow” equally challenging to start per its abrasive, unfiltered feeling ’til the focus on strings and percussive/synth began to form a waltzing melody. The escalating dance of this song would end up being a strong highlight for my own taste, not only for the upward-wandering melody but the tension of the strings they’ve wrapped it in. We’re far from a plain extraction of death/doom metal here and achieving something far more advanced in its atmospheric value and detailed handicraft than expected. The structure of the piece isn’t entirely formal, kind of a psychedelic freakout in how it moves between two distinct stances mid-song, or, as each arc of phrase resolves. Though I’d appreciated this piece quite a bit upon return it was the congested, sludge-heavy movement of “Pleading for the Scythe” that’d ultimately become my favorite piece here. A song that appears to be whirring loose, slowly burning over the length of its first half via the most satisfyingly slung groove on the album for my own taste, appreciating a more “straight forward” death-sludge grounded piece beyond the heady ask of “Sprawl in the City of Sorrow”. Overall those two songs are probably the most vital and effective portion of the album for my own taste.

The way I’d perceived the whole of ‘The Convalescence Agonies‘ centered around its grand finale, or, point of resolve. Though the synth-tipped melodic device used (~2:05 minutes into the title track) is something new, as is the lush cello arrangement (via Annie Blythe) which arrives later on, I’d felt there was a sort of return to the old self on this piece (“The Convalescence Agonies”), a changed but familiar perspective reflecting Weeping Sores‘ past to some slight degree. I suggest this partially for the sake of Moore‘s deeper vocal register returning in full (accompanied, of course) as well as the illustrative tarantella that begins to sink in mind around the arrival of the dual lead guitars around ~2:35 minutes in. Ear-scratching open chords and rolling percussion retain the decorative, dramatic hand of the composer(s) here as the doom of the song builds into an early Opethian search by way of sludge tirade. Though I’d found some relevance to their original material here it is clear that this album and the character of the band isn’t just having a different conversation than before but cannot return from where it came. If that sounds like too much of a stretch I’d relent, though I guarantee fans of ‘False Confession‘ will appreciate this finale as a transformative on some level.

Otherwise I’ve not a ton of thoughts per the render and production values here, the choices are satisfyingly odd or off-color in every case (yet the bass guitar is woefully under-used) and the addition of keys, strings + more vocal variety/layers helps to flesh the experience beyond its big n’ bent but still crispy rhythm guitar tone. Speaking of color, the cover artwork from Caroline Harrison takes on an interesting sort of Celtic/medieval illustrative weave at a glance but begins to make some sense in terms of theme between the symbolism of the lotus (probably?) flower and the very goth wine glass pouring blood over fire at its pistil center; All things considered the sustained dramatic voice of Weeping Sores was the major draw here, their sludgier grooves sustained interest, and the mountain of unusual and/or unique choices made per every tone and brush stroke allowed for an intriguing yarn to develop on repeat. Though it won’t skew my taste away from more traditional doom metal stoked death metal just yet ‘The Convalescence Agonies‘ entertains by its own free will, extracting all manner of poisons and irregular humours from lived experience into a poetic and satisfyingly dramatic record which has been artfully arranged and performed. A high recommendation.

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