Where all gloominess resides, the duo achieves remarkable standards of sonic beauty and tranquility. The sophomore is simply awash in lush ambiance and empyrean quality that exceeds what they have achieved in the previous 2021 outcome. The guitar textures are all frontal, which somehow elevates the stylistic range from crushing doom dirges to ethereal guitar textures. The album starts off with a lengthy track ‘Song of Salvation’, introducing breathtaking post-rock effects which sound sleek and modern as an artistic opening theme to the dreamy, panoramic album cover. Although the pace of the music is less crushing than other doom-death bands, the composition slowly reveals its sonic ingredients.

From the drenched reverb vocals soaked in deep hues of sweet melancholy the experience gets deeper in a reverie of fancy guitar licks. Justin DeTore offers something essential for the fans of funeral doom. The guitar arrangement provides ample space for the instrumentation to shine, adding an omnipresent melodic element that flows fluidly as a more ghostly synth serves as a beautiful contrast to the slow doomy riffs. The duo brings many elements into play. The guitar riffs swirl slowly in a dizzying motion. Even though each lead guitar and solo segment has an ethereal feel, the atmosphere remains as delicate as the soft cold wind.

‘Secret Grief’ verges from the slow funeral doom and presents something sentimental, the song features Phil Swanson as a guest vocalist along Leila Abdul-Rauf (Vastum). The trumpet is accompanied by a jazzy section and some piano passages add an extraordinary touch to the mix. Detailed and textured layers of lead guitars allow the mood to shift towards progressive rock and the other half of the track yields a somber sound. Aesthetically, ‘Song of Salvation’ retains its gloomy doom-death tone. The end result is a very sentimental and atmospheric album: mournful, dark and placid at the same time. ‘Murmur of Voices’ is a short interlude cut that highlights the guitar work of Derrick Vella. Despite the experimental aspects of the album each song has its own identity. The melodies are very memorable. Dream Unending has succeeded in drawing the listener into its vast sonic realm.

The album’s centerpieces ‘Song of Salvation’ and ‘Ecstatic Rain’ shines through witty guitar arrangements where the spring of melodies flows perpetually. The duo combines splendid guitar solos and pacing drums with its memorable guitars and slow tranquil tempos. The emotional delivery of the vocals the songs manage to convey multi-chromatic melodies. While the instrumental interlude ‘Unrequited’ takes some elements from post-rock, the guitar solos are reminiscent of Pink Floyd. The tracks start slowly before veering into these progressive territories where the guitars and drums flow together flawlessly.

‘Song of Salvation’ ‘s true beauty lies in the flawless simplicity and execution that is absolutely mesmerizing. The cohesive tone and the saccharine atmosphere see the duo at their peak. The closing track ‘Ecstatic Rain’ centers on enough sonic variation to keep the listener hooked. The catchy guitar riffs tie this monolithic track into one palpable gloomy experience. The drums have a great crushing pace and the smooth alteration with the angelic female vocals of McKenna Rae (Phantom Divine, Sōlborn) imparts a sort of grace to the melodic guitar dirge. The artistic and musical dexterity of the guest drummer Max Klebanoff (Tomb Mold) is perfect.

Riffs erupt from a cauldron of grief and growl furiously blew against the crushing gait of the drums subsiding in darker melodic guitar textures that flicker through layers of the atmosphere. Although I wouldn’t say that Dream Unending has trodden beyond the realms of doom-death metal, it’s clear that the duo has infused new ideas exposing their inspirations to bands like Pink Floyd, Anathema and Evoken. Although I am not a big fan of such musical experimentation and post-rock elements, my only real complaint here is that Dream Unending has somehow strayed away from the doom-death realm on the sophomore release.

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