The Living Fields dates back to 2002, when guitarist Jason Muxlow started the American Doom/Death outfit (though the band also cites Thrash, Black and Viking influences). Jon Higgs of Monsterworks was added on vocals and the group was born. The Living Fields' initial effort was an EP, The Miseries Never Cease. The new self-titled full-length comes after the addition of drummer Chad Walls (Pustulated, ex-Brodequin).
The band is seriously talented and has a fascinating sound. The foundation is slow, soulless Doom/Death a la Novembers Doom. But Higgs is a master of all forms. In addition to great clean and death vocals, he adds incredible black metal shrieks to the mix that are some bizarre cross of King Diamond and 3 Inches of Blood singer Cam Pipes. There are also orchestral instruments and wonderful uses of sound, such as when dialogue from the 1938 Frank Capra movie "You Can't Take it With You" is mixed into "What is Left Behind." I also love the gorgeous piano that opens "Burial at Sky." The Living Fields has such an organic, open-minded approach for a genre that often lacks that quality. "Burial..." explodes into a Funeral Doom-anthem from Hell presided over by what sounds like a young, reborn King Diamond, and two to three demons – wow. "This Great Majority" is a combination of strings (violins, cello?), mallet-beaten drums, and some wonderful voice samples. It's just incredible that a three-man band can create this rich a soundscape. Even the tempos vary (also not typical of this genre) – on "The Soil Giveth" we get power licks and also full-on thrash! There is so much texture in these songs that I'm fascinated the band is American – they sound like older souls. One interesting quality about The Living Fields is that it is book-ended by 10-minute-plus tracks. The last one, "The Overview Effect," is one of the weirdest, craziest songs you will hear. I think ABACAB has been staked in the heart. Just a number of great, dark, mind-blowing sections here – a great finish on a statement of an album.
The Living Fields is officially one of my favorite Doom bands. Absolutely fantastic – a real shot in the arm and hopefully some inspiration for the Older Guard (Solitude, Candlemass, Cathedral, etc.). I can't imagine that these guys wouldn't be signed soon. They are wildly talented and sound like what I was hoping for with Wolverine years ago.
Ladd Everitt, Transcending the Mundane