After years of anonymity (admittedly self-imposed, to a large degree), lately the band has graced a few high profile world stages, issued a pair of praised studio efforts and jumped to the massive promotional machine at Nuclear Blast. Not the textbook path to "success", but it’s on their own terms, which is all the more commendable. While no longer a straight ahead doom outfit, there’s no denying While Heaven Wept are moody, if not melancholy, or outright depressive.

Atmospheric is the word we scribes utilized in the early to mid-90s. Today, thanks in part to Opeth, Anathema (of late) and the lot, it’s progressive. Whatever. Pedestrian, gently meandering tempos and clean vocals characterize the seven numbers offered here. Only sections of ‘Saturn And Sacrifice’, the start to ‘Hours Of Reprisal’ and 2:40 of the genuinely heavy ‘Destroyer Of Solace’ would be labeled upbeat. A trio of tunes fails to crack four minutes, but the aptly entitled, acoustic begun ‘Finality’ closer clocks in at 11:07. There’s a current of liturgical music (angelic aria that is piano driven ‘Unplenitude’) inherent in these joyously bleak odes. Good stuff!