If you thought you had learned everything there was to know about doom metal from the first volume of Doom Metal Lexicanum, book 2 is going to be an eye-opener.
In 2017, Cult Never Dies published Aleksey Evdokimov’s Doom Metal Lexicanum in a rugged paperback edition. Four years later, they issued a second edition of that book in hardcover. At the same time, to the surprise and delight of everyone, a second volume of Doom Metal Lexicanum was also introduced. The second book is just as long as the first, potentially doubling the readers’ knowledge doom.
The original treatise focused on what is thought of now as traditional doom metal. The second volume shines a light on the death-doom bands, primarily, taking a close look at the harder edge of the genre, along with closely related sub- and adjacent-genres. Think more in the My Dying Bride, Katatonia direction than Candlemass. Every entry has basic information about the band, its history, members, and a select discography. More than enough to start an obsession. The first thing I do when I come across any doom-related band I am not very familiar with is look them up in these books. There are on-line resources, true, but the Doom Metal Lexicanum books have a lot more information.
Besides the entries on the bands, there are several interviews included at the end of the book: Gregor Mackintosh (Paradise Lost), Paul “Hammy” Halmshaw (Peaceville Records), Robert “Mags” Magoolagen (Academy Studios), Aaron Stainthorpe (My Dying Bride), and Martin Powell (My Dying Bride). These detailed one-on-ones give you fascinating insight into the art and industry of doom.
These books are both fantastic, and to me they are endlessly entertaining. I have a hard time putting them down, because as soon as I finish one entry, I am on to the next. I can read it straight through, alphabetically, or flip around the book and choose an entry at random. There is a lot here and, for doom fans, it is a genuine treasure trove.
Will there be a volume three? Who knows. While we are waiting to see what happens on that front, there is plenty to spend our time on in the first two. Highly recommended.
Book Details.
Doom Metal Lexicanum II, second edition
By Aleksey Evdokimov
Edited by Alex De Moller, with Simon Ferrie and Dayal Patterson
Published by Crypt Publications and Cult Never Dies in 2021
Hardcover
324 pages
ISBN: 978-1-915148-03-2
Link.
Cult Never Dies, https://cultneverdies.myshopify.com/collections/all-publications/products/doom-metal-lexicanum-2-book-hardback
© Wayne Edwards