Expressing the dread and defeat which hangs heavy within the individual’s psyche upon realization that the escapist utopia long imagined from afar as a point of solace is ultimately unattainable as a destination this sophomore full-length album from Hungarian dark death/doom metal project SÍR arrives surprisingly developed, refined beyond an awkward debut LP. Conjuring its own form of dark metal via romanticist death/doom metal, traditional doom and depressive rock traits ‘Unreachable Mountain‘ presents four deeply immersive lamentations which mourn the dream of respite via haunting and occasionally ambitious explorations. Though the pieces of their new formulation are recognizable in element their collective effect is entirely unique and well worth checking out per the adventurous doom and dark metal fan.

Sír is a solo project from musician Kryptagonist who is probably best known for black metal duo Leiru but also features in prog-black duo Holdlajtorja among other groups. Formed back in 2020 the original focus of his efforts centered around some manner of depressive rock inspiration flocked with atmospheric black metal candor, something like depressive black/dark metal with a black n’ roll component. That sounds was explored via a tentative EP (‘Cosmic Grave‘, 2020) and then further developed on a debut LP (‘Your Stall Will Collapse‘, 2023) and this is where things get odd. The effect of Samhain inspired vocals ranting over frantically jammed black metal with gothic rock and traditional doom metal movement in tow isn’t so alien considering the popularity of goth metal inspiration of late but I would say it was a tough record to get through. The fellow’s Danzig-esque delivery and loose, almost unnecessary inclusion of extreme metal meter made for a personal but altogether grotesque experience. Some of those general ideas factor into this new record though the style has changed.

To start Kryptagonist‘s vocals are now less of a bluesy roar and instead resemble the gothic death/doom metal adjacency of a pre-‘Draconian Times‘ era for morbid romanticist doom, tempering his cleaner register to something more aloof while also incorporating a harsh death metal roar. This turns out to be a marked improvement for the whole gig as all gels better between depressive rock influences, ‘epic’ traditional doom metal gait, and a mournful blackened doom coldness which often features atmospheric keyboards/synth. Each of these four ~10 minute songs explore a broad range of vocal styles in general but we don’t get the swinging, grizzled belt of the previous album at all. The longest piece of the lot, opener “Last Days”, channels a particularly sublime level of melancholy in both its layered/harmonized verses and epic melodic death/doom plod wherein one moment takes on a sort of ‘Lamentations‘-era Simon Matravers tonality and the next sounds like it’d been cut directly from a particularly morose gothic doom record circa ’92… only to jam on an unexpectedly tuneful psychedelic rock comedown for the final few minutes of the song.

Once we’ve unpacked this new sound and the general ouevre available to this newly unbound version of Sír these extended pieces flow naturally at a funeral’s pace, lamenting all that rests so gloriously out of reach and unrequited. The title track is closest to this meaning in its hymnally woven confessional while further exploring the tension of atmospheric black metal swells, maze-like doom riffs as one of the more distraught and haunted pieces on the full listen. The excess of the musician in the zone crops up here towards the end as post-punk scratched chords accompany the dissolution of the marching beat, I wouldn’t say that he’d needed to pull back on his instincts here but a few moments are overly gilded as they reach their respective peaks on the ride through; “Good Old Hatred” leans into many of those same nodes even harder and the result clashes wildly, creating a comparatively erratic scene. While this song occasionally feels afflicted by strong interest in traditional doom metal, and even crows up some more dramatic full-chested vocals at its peak, the nausea available to the ‘Dance of December Souls‘ styled death-doom sections at hand creates a few awkwardly congested transitions within the piece which stunt its effect.

Closer “Immersing Intoxicated” is a reasonable enough destination as the similar formulation and pace of these four songs draws its excruciation to a close. The entranced effect of this piece matches that of the opener but with keyboards playing a slightly more prominent role in the unfolding defeat of the song. I’d appreciated that various accompaniment intensifies within the second half of the album, building upon its funereal tone, though I’m not sure “Last Days” is ever fully usurped in terms of its guiding lead guitar exchange and the central hook of its main riff. The full listen yet presents an album-length exploration, a mostly complete thought which is consistent in its slow-marched movement yet ambitious in its exploration of the artist’s range; It’ll take a somewhat open-minded doom metal seeker or a general fanatic for early 90’s extreme/gothic doom to fully appreciate what Sír accomplish here but at any rate ‘Unreachable Mountain‘ is a real point of redemption for the act and one worth iterating directly upon in the future. A moderately high recommendation.

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