Though they present uncannily contrasting modus in their pairing per this split full-length album Italian gothic doom metal quintet SHORES OF NULL and Finnish funeral death/doom metal duo CONVOCATION yet manage to float their downtrodden wares with reasonable civility, flowing from one spectacle to the next in a showing of communal solemnity. Though it should be clear which half of ‘Latitudes of Sorrow‘ I am squarely interested in the material on both sides is certainly memorable, if not for vastly different reasons. How the dreary intimacy of one shakes hands with the hymnal vulcanism of another isn’t all that clear outright but in either case some manner of profound doom is served.

Shores of Null are a Roman troupe devised by (mostly) progressive death metal musicians back in 2013 having released four full-length albums since. While they are generally tagged as melodic black/doom metal their work on ‘Latitudes of Sorrow‘ is gothic doom metal with some melodic death/doom metal facets, something like October Tide‘s ‘Tunnel of No Light‘ crossed with vocals suitable for ‘Draconian Times‘-era Paradise Lost. Here they present three six-minute pieces which are heavily focused on the confessional lament of gothic metal and no doubt each is tuneful and affected to an appreciable degree. This description plays out in full within the bopping dark metal slide into opener “An Easy Way”, hitting like a 2000’s alt-metal song as it briefly pulls into its first chorus. “The White Wound” introduces some of their post-black movement and “The Year Without Summer” brings a sort of listlessly hanging gothic death/doom roar to their side though I can’t say either song necessarily did anything I’d not heard before, though they do it well.

Helsinki-based duo Convocation are of course a very different kind of band rooted in atmospheric death metal and given to the surreal, intoxicating agency of funeral doom. This is reflected within their increasingly expansive creations to date where the strings-riddle and hymnally upshot roar of their third LP (‘No Dawn for the Caliginous Night‘, 2023) was a fresh high for their ongoing creation. “Abaddon’s Shadow” reflects that level of empyreal resound while dragging along the watery glint of its ‘A Caress of the Void‘-esque clean guitar accompaniment and gnarled-out death-doom metal riffcraft otherwise. While that first song is a reminder of the sonic lustre and enormity of their work “Empty Room” is potentially more interesting for its treatment of chorale as a major feature of its drift. This adds an unreal dimension to the piece and I’d just as well like to hear them expand on the possibilities of chorale as a major feature of their narration, at least beyond what was accomplished on their most recent LP.

These two bands have very little in common beyond their pursuit of some form of extreme doom metal and I won’t use any sort of mental gymnastics to suggest a suitable “fit” can be found here. You may very well not be a fan of one and thoroughly enjoy the other. While they certainly share a similar level of refinement the two bands included on ‘Latitudes of Sorrow‘ are interesting in pair for the sake of contrast, the full listen was compelling for the passing of the torch kinda working rather than any shared interest or scenery. Of course for my own taste Convocation are the main reason to show up here, their work continues to carry its own quintessence, but the full listen was yet entertaining. A moderately high recommendation.

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